Biden: Forget Inalienable Rights; Freedom Must Be ‘Earned’

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Biden: Forget Inalienable Rights; Freedom Must Be ‘Earned’

(Headline USA) President Joe Biden offered a tone-deaf commemoration of Memorial Day that echoed the political tensions of the day with little attention to honoring the fallen soldiers for whom the holiday is dedicated.

The weekend began with Biden paying special recognition to another fallen hero of the Left: George Floyd.

Other Democrats likewise sought to score political points, with Minnesota’s far-left Gov. Tim Walz declaring Saturday as “George Floyd Remembrance Day.”

Initially, Biden’s boilerplate speech on Monday, while delivering remarks at a solemn remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, was inoffensive, if unremarkable.

Before the ceremony began, Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

In his speech, Biden pledged that the United States would continue the work of the nation’s fallen toward creating a more perfect union, “for which they lived, and for which they died for.”

He said each generation must ensure the sacrifice of the country’s service members is not in vain.

While others have said similar things about the idea the “freedom isn’t free” and must be fought for, the idea that American’s needed to “earn” it, as if it were a privilege to be revoked, may have struck some the wrong way in the context of Biden’s past proclivity toward despotism and demagoguery, both in word and deed.

“Freedom has never been guaranteed,” Biden said Monday under gray skies in the memorial amphitheater. “Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few, and the rights of many.”

The Democratic president added: “On this day, we came together again to reflect, to remember, and above all, to recommit to the future they fought for, a future grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity and equality. Not just for some, but for all.”

Although the remarks may have seemed yet another attack on his Republican critics, just as many supporters of his Republican rival, Donald Trump, wondered if Biden wasn’t speaking about his own autocratic tendencies and exhorting them to stand up for America.

Biden also controversially invoked the death of his son Beau, who served in Iraq and later died from brain cancer.

Beau deployed with his National Guard brigade in 2008 and served in Iraq for nearly a year as a military lawyer, according to ABC News. He died in 2015.

Biden has been accused of stolen valor and lacking empathy on multiple occasions after bringing up Beau’s death at inappropriate times—including his meetings with grieving Gold Star families and with the victims of Hawaii’s Lahaina wildfire last year.

The president attributed Beau’s death to his time stationed near toxic burn pits, to highlight the importance of honoring the service of those who came home with injuries, in addition to the dead. In the past, however, he has made demonstrably false claims, such as saying that Beau died in Iraq.

Biden claimed that last year the Department of Veterans Affairs delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever before.

He credited the PACT Act, which grants automatic coverage for certain health conditions suffered by veterans by presuming they result from their military service.

“For too long after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right health care, to get the benefits they had earned,” Biden said. “Not anymore.”

Critics have slammed Biden, however, for adding new layers of bureaucracy and shoddy treatment of those who do seek medical care. An inspector general’s report in May even suggested that some of the doctors treating veterans had been disqualified for safety reasons.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Walmart Pushes LGBT Propaganda Before ‘Pride’ Month

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Walmart Pushes LGBT Propaganda Before ‘Pride’ Month

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Walmart decided not to learn from the mistakes of Bud Light and Target by promoting its new pro-LGBT apparel on social media ahead of “Pride” month on June 1, 2024.

“Not just a slogan. #PrideAlways is a reminder to lead with love,” the woke company wrote on Instagram.

A notebook that says “beyond gender,” a tote bag that says “totes gay,” a fanny pack with “I heart gay people” on it and rainbow-colored products like a pool floatie and an apron were among the products in Walmart’s new “Pride Always” collection, Fox Business reported.

“While I was creating my collection, it was important to me for it to be positive and uplifting,” Bianca of Bianca Designs said in the promo of her collection.

Despite the Target backlash, Walmart said last year that the company will not get rid of its LGBT merchandise.

“I think we have merchandise that we sell all year that supports different groups. I’d say in this particular case, we haven’t changed anything in our assortment,” the company’s Chief Merchandising Officer Latriece Watkins said, responding to a question about the Target controversy made at the company’s associate and shareholder week.

Last year, in response to a question about the company’s engagement with public commentary, Walmart U.S. CEO Doug McMillon doubled down on shoving the far-left “values” down normal people’s throats by telling the company’s shareholders that the company does not “wake up in the morning wanting to go and make social and political statements.”

“We’re [a] retailer. We want everybody to feel comfortable shopping with us… and we want everybody to feel comfortable and excited about working at Walmart,” he said.

Walmart’s promotion came just weeks after Target announced that its “Pride” collection would only be available in “select stores” after the company faced a major boycott by conservatives last year.

The news source reported that the backlash was so massive that some stores at the time were told to hide their “Pride” month displays to avoid sparking a “Bud Light situation.”

Bud Light was another major company that was boycotted by conservatives last year.

N.Y. Leftists Introduce Bill to Make State Less White

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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N.Y. Leftists Introduce Bill to Make State Less White

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Far-left politicians in New York are currently pushing a controversial bill to make the Empire State less “white,” critics of the bill said.

Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas, D-Queens, and Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, sponsored the legislation that would mandate state agencies and other entities use separate categories for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) New Yorkers when collecting demographics data, instead of relying on the U.S. Census, which classifies them under one “white” umbrella, the New York Post reported.

On May 23, 2024, the state Senate unanimously voted to pass the legislation, but González-Rojas’ version of the bill still faces pushback in the Assembly.

The news source reported that both pols argued MENA people don’t benefit from “white privilege,” instead facing discrimination every day by being falsely associated with the 9/11 terror attacks.

The current system shuts MENA individuals out of qualifying for minority-owned business grants, language programs and other critical government aid and services by labeling them white, the supporters of the legislation said.

“This bill isn’t anti-white – it’s pro-MENA. Data is power. It will give elected representatives and state agencies and institutions the tools to better understand the unique and diverse needs of all New Yorkers,” González-Rojas said.

State Assemblyman Alec Brook-Kransy, R-Brooklyn, disagreed by saying he believes the actual purpose of the bill is “de-whiting” of New York.

“I am deeply concerned that this further separation of New Yorkers into categories… may lead to more division. If the desire is inclusion, then why are we pushing a path of forcing legislation that will clearly result in separation and further division in our society?” he said.

State Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, R-Staten Island, agreed with Brook-Kransy by saying the bill is hypocritical.

“They want to fight systemic exclusion with systemic exclusion. Instead of trying to help and uplift everyone, they are fanning the flame of racial division,” he said.

America Prepares for War w/ China

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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America Prepares for War w/ China

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was recently revealed that the United States military started preparing to go to war with China because of the communist country potentially invading Taiwan. 

Marines from the United States and the Philippines have been preparing for the potential war and working on their strategy on small islands next to Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Deploying teams of marines from Chinook helicopters, readying unarmed assault rifles and scoping out terrain that would hypothetically be used if conflict erupted were among the exercises that were included, the news source added.

The news came after the hostile communist nation had been threatening to invade Taiwan for many years, which intensified after Joe Biden stepped into the Oval Office.

The Journal reported that any direct conflict between the United States and China could easily spiral into World War III, which could destroy the planet because both nations possess nuclear weapons that they could potentially use.

Chinese President Xi Jinping previously made multiple remarks about his desire to “reunify” Taiwan with mainland China while keeping his rivals in the dark over when he could deploy a surprise attack.

Taiwan, an independent country, also stated that it doesn’t want to be a part of China. The United States previously said that it would defend the country if China invades, with Biden saying that he would deploy American troops to defend the island in the event of an attack.

China recently made numerous moves that suggested it is preparing to invade. Among those moves was the Chinese military encircling Taiwan just two days ago.

The war games were a “strong punishment” for Taiwan after the country inaugurated its new president, Lai Ching-te, Beijing said. The political analysts saw it as yet another blatant show of the communist nation’s military prowess.

President Bukele Calls Out Democratic Lawmaker’s Fake Outrage

Luis Cornelio
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President Bukele Calls Out Democratic Lawmaker’s Fake Outrage

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A Democratic lawmaker threw a tantrum on Twitter over a false story about El Salvador, but President Nayib Bukele was having none of it. 

 On Sunday, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., claimed he was “deeply disturbed” by reports that a painting dedicated to Archbishop Oscar Romero had been “removed” from a Salvadoran airport.

However, the painting, displayed since 2010, was not removed but merely relocated a few meters. Bukele took to Twitter to address McGovern’s inaccurate claim. 

“You’re ‘deeply disturbed’ because we moved a painting a couple of meters to a nicer place in OUR AIRPORT?” Bukele responded.

“We are a sovereign nation, and we will display our artwork wherever we see fit. You are overstepping your bounds. Shouldn’t you be looking after your own people in MA?” the Central American leader continued. 

McGovern had tweeted about the alleged significance of the painting to him personally. 

“When I travel to El Salvador, I always pause upon my arrival at the painting to reflect on all that Saint Romero means to me and millions of others,” he wrote.  

“I’m concerned about the artwork’s fate and await hearing from authorities that it will continue to be displayed in a place of honor where Salvadorans and visitors may easily and freely view it,” the lawmaker added. 

This is not the first time Bukele has clashed with U.S. politicians. 

In January 2024, Bukele responded to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., after she and other lawmakers accused El Salvador of undermining its presidential elections. 

“We are HONORED to receive your attacks, just days before OUR election,” Bukele wrote. “I would be very worried if we had your support. Thank you.”

Biden’s Covert Plan to Sabotage a Trump Comeback

Luis Cornelio
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Biden’s Covert Plan to Sabotage a Trump Comeback

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Joe Biden is working to block former President Donald Trump from enacting his policies during a potential second term by imposing new regulations at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to Politico. 

“The White House fears Trump could try to advance an ideological agenda at the National Institutes of Health, like the ones he’s suggested on everything from vaccines to diversity policies,” the outlet reported. 

Biden’s controversial plan involves establishing a council to review what he deems political interference within the federal agency, with Biden official Lyric Jorgenson at the helm of this undemocratic initiative. 

“Interfering and manipulating science to hit a partisan agenda is inappropriate and is what we’re working to wall against,” Jorgenson said, likely indicating a move against potential Trump-led initiatives. 

Jorgenson, who is also overseeing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seems to be part of Biden’s broader strategy to control key health agencies. 

“The White House knows Trump could still cast those plans aside but is calculating that doing so will set off alarms with the media, Congress and the public,” Politico noted. “The Biden administration likely hopes GOP lawmakers, even those who think the NIH needs an overhaul, will temper Trump’s moves.” 

Critics argue this maneuver is a desperate attempt by Biden to cling to power and stifle Trump’s agenda.

“NIH is ripe for drastic reform,” said Roger Severino in an interview with Politico. He worked at the HHS as the Office of Civil Rights head and now works at the Heritage Foundation. 

The move appears to be a reaction to Trump’s previous stance on firing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the controversial former head of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

Fauci, who led the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently under intense scrutiny. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has called for Fauci’s prosecution, claiming he made the “worst decision ever made by a public official” concerning the virus’s origins. 

“History should judge him as a deficient person who made one of the worst decisions in public health history — in the entire history of the world,” Paul said in an interview on WABC 770 AM’s The Cats Roundtable. 

Trump’s Afroman Meetup Generates Buzz as Classic Song Gets 2024 Rewrite

Jacob Bruns
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Trump’s Afroman Meetup Generates Buzz as Classic Song Gets 2024 Rewrite

(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump caused media waves at the Libertarian national convention Saturday when he met up with famous rapper Afroman, who recently mocked the Biden family in a parody of one of his old songs, Newsweek reported.

Afroman is perhaps most famous for his 2001 hit, “Because I Got High.” He is currently undertaking his own presidential campaign with a platform that includes legalizing marijuana, reforming law enforcement and reducing inflation.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Afroman (@ogafroman)

Last month, he released a parody of his own song, titling the remake “Hunter Got High,” in reference to Hunter Biden, the drug-and sex-addicted son of President Joe Biden.

The video has received over two million YouTube views in only one month of being posted.

According to Afroman, because of his new hit he “might really be back.”

“This one might take me to the stratosphere,” Afroman suggested after his song led to a meeting with the former president. “I might be singing it at some Trump rallies.”

His viral photo-op with the presumptive GOP nominee had some speculating that Afroman could even have a role in a future Trump administration.

The moment comes as Trump has actively sought to win black and Hispanic voters who traditionally have swung Democrats, including a historic rally last week in the Bronx that roiled leftists.

Trump’s speech for the Libertarian convention was another example of his efforts to expand his outreach beyond the traditional voting base, capitalizing on his ability to campaign to different audiences, some more supportive than others, while President Joe Biden increasingly tries to insulate himself from any potential critics.

Afroman said his new song lampooing the president’s son had received a lot of support, noting that very few people were triggered by it.

“I’ve only seen one negative comment and a lot of laughing faces and thumbs up,” he said. “But the backlash is out there, because the universe has to balance itself out.”

Fortunately for the rapper, the federal government has not yet tried to censor him despite his anti-Biden song and political views.

Though Biden “may be bigger than my song,” if the president’s son or someone in his circles does decide to sue, it’ll be fine “as long as he doesn’t take all the money,” he said.

“He can have some” as the “inspiration” of the song, Afroman added.

Despite announcing his own candidacy in December 2022 and filing last year, he said that if he decides to end his campaign he would likely join the growing list of well-known rappers currently backing Trump—or perhaps stage his own insurrection.

“I might refuse to concede,” he remarked. “You never know, the election might get stolen, man. You gotta watch ’em all the time,” he added, joking.

REPORT: Millennials Are ‘Quiet Vacationing’ Instead of Taking PTO

Ben Sellers
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REPORT: Millennials Are ‘Quiet Vacationing’ Instead of Taking PTO

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) With the Memorial Day weekend kicking off the vacation and travel season, as well as the opening of many a swimming pool, a recent report suggested that some remote workers might be giving their employers the short shrift while enjoying extra holiday benefits.

The Harris Poll, a market research and consulting firm, revealed the growing trend of “quiet vacationing” in a recent analysis on “out of office culture.”

It follows the confluence of several recent fads, such as the “quiet quitting” of workers in the milllennial generation (ages 28-43), and younger professionals entering the workforce with a growing sense of entitlement.

Employers, on the other hand, may be increasingly seeking to exploit their workers for lower wages than their market value as the economy struggles under the boot of Bidenflation. Despite claims of robust employment and spending, only a select few governments subsidized sectors of the economy have continued to grow, and many of the new jobs have benefited non-citizens.

Faced with rising overhead costs and reduced revenue from belt-tightening customers, the first impulse for some may be to promote a “do more with less” mentality to the office culture that relies heavily on unpaid overtime hours, for instance, or non-vacations in which the employee is still called upon to work.

Roughly 60% of workers struggle to disconnect while away from the office, and about two-thirds said they dreaded the buildup that awaited them upon their return if there were nobody there to cover the absence.

Those circumstances helped to foster last year’s phenomenon known as “quiet quitting,” in which some employees focus on meeting the bare-minimum expectation without the same allegiance toward company success that has characterized past generations of workers.

Meanwhile, the growing trend toward fluid worksites and work schedules that developed during the pandemic means that some employees, feeling they have already earned their keep, may decide to bypass the process for seeking paid time off and simply continue to clock in while on vacation.

“There’s a giant workaround culture at play,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll.

Roughly 40% of the 1,170 employees surveyed for its recent research confessed to taking unauthorized time off without telling their boss, as CNBC reported.

“They will figure out how to get appropriate work–life balance, but it’s happening behind the scenes,” Rodney noted.

In response, some companies have moved to an “unlimited PTO” model or using other creative strategies designed to enhance productivity while relying on a PTO system that provides for sufficient recovery.

In some cases, that ironically has led companies to things like mandatory time off.

Many employees report being satisfied with the amount of time off that is provided by their companies with roughly three-fourths of respondents, especially younger workers, saying they did not use all of their allotted time off.

About 63% said the pressure to meet deadlines and maintain productivity had deterred them from using more of their time, while about half said they got nervous requesting time off.

Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/realbensellers.

Is Cracker Barrel’s #Girlboss CEO Trying to Make It the New Bud Light?

Ben Sellers
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Is Cracker Barrel’s #Girlboss CEO Trying to Make It the New Bud Light?

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Countless studies have confirmed that evil happens incrementally.

Consider, if you will, Penn State’s Milgram experiments of the early 196o, during which respondents were unwilling to administer a high dosage of electric shock to participants right off the bat, but they could be conditioned to do so when authorities began with smaller voltages, convincing the participants—despite their better judgment—that each slightly higher shock was equally harmless.

So it was when Cracker Barrel—the restaurant that epitomizes “white” culture right down to its name—first went “woke” by adding a meat substitute to its breakfast menu.

Customers made clear their disapproval of the virtue-signaling, no matter how innocuous, that seemed to chip away at the popular interstate-adjacent stop’s authenticity.

Nonetheless, the restaurant persevered, eliciting yet another scandal during last year’s “Pride” month, as conservative consumers were making clear to the brands most associated with their culture and values that they should avoid caving to the marketing temptation at their own peril.

Despite the backlash against Bud Light and several other companies who traded in their all-American image for the rainbow banner, Cracker Barrel unwisely unveiled its line of rainbow rockers and were promptly rebuked.

In July 2023, the company found itself at a crossroads with backlash beginning to rise and show signs of sagging sales.

The time was ripe to reconnect with its traditional customer base—although perhaps, as Anheuser–Busch found, its brand loyalists might have expected to see some form of comeuppance before rushing back.

Instead, the company ousted its longtime CEO, Sandra B. Cochran, in favor of an even woker alternative, Julie Felss Masino, who had spent the “bulk of her career” at Starbucks in a variety of management roles, according to a press release.

Rather than apologize for overreaching with its brand-tinkering, the announcement continued to emphasize the company’s commitment to ensuring “that Cracker Barrel remains a place where people feel welcomed and cared for like family as we extend our hospitality to an even broader array of guests.”

Not surprisingly, less than a year into her tenure, Masino made news this month for saying in May 16 conference call with investors that the company had lost its spark.

“We’re just not as relevant as we once were,” Masino said, amid reports that the restaurant had lost around 10% or more of its dine-in traffic—which largely consists of older diners age 65 and up—since the pandemic, the New York Post reported.

“[W]e are not leading in any area,” Masino said. “[T]he reality is we’ve lost some market share, especially at dinner.”

The company’s stock has dropped more than 40% in 2024, CBS News reported.

Its revenue has reportedly flatlined at $935.4 million, having grown little above the previous year, despite price increases implemented to offset inflation.

On the contrary, the company blamed the higher costs for putting off its regulars—and indeed that may be true in some cases.

Yet, it remained determined also to tinker with its successful formula while trying to modernize Cracker Barrel for a younger clientele.

“Some of our recipes and processes haven’t evolved in decades,” Masino complained, as if that were a liability for a brand built on its old-fashioned, nostalgic image.

She rolled out plans to revamp the restaurants, including using “a different color palette, updating lighting, offering more comfortable seating and simplifying decor and fixtures,” according to CBS News.

Changes to the menu thus far seemed largely positive and consistent with the company brand, including green-chili cornbread and banana pudding.

In the fall, the restaurant plans to roll out several other new menu items such as:

  • Premium savory chicken and rice
  • Slow-braised pot roast
  • Hashbrown casserole shepherd’s pie

“The goal, simply put, was to freshen things in such a way as to be noticeable and attractive but still feel like Cracker Barrel,”Masino said.

Nonetheless, investors wary of similar acts of last resort at restaurants like Red Lobster, which is now undergoing a bankruptcy restructuring, feared that changes could lead to even more blowback for the brand as it loses sight of what makes it uniquely Cracker Barrel.

“Historically, Cracker Barrel has made limited changes to our design aesthetic, and we’ve probably relied a little too much on what was perceived to be the timeless nature of our concept,” she said.

In week following Masino’s conference call, the stock has reportedly dipped another 20%.

The company’s actions in the coming “Pride” month could be pivotal. While the national mood seems to be a return to normalcy following the perversion facilitated by the ESG movement at woke corporations, Masino’s urge to turn Cracker Barrel into a countrified Starbucks could make it a prime target if it steps into the political fray once again.

On the other hand, it could send an equally bold statement by doing absolutely nothing to commemorate the occasion and letting diners enjoy their food in peace, as they have come to expect, in a dankly-lit wood-paneled interior with random farm machinery and bits of Americana hanging on the walls and a peg game at every table.

That could help stem the losses, but if Cracker Barrel truly wants to grow, it could, better yet, double-down on its brand by going in the opposite direction and turning June into a month to celebrate old-fashioned, traditional values.

Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/realbensellers.

Rep. Donalds Fires Back at Racist Attacks Over Trump Support

Luis Cornelio
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Rep. Donalds Fires Back at Racist Attacks Over Trump Support

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., strongly rebutted attacks with racist undertones directed at him for supporting former President Donald Trump. 

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Donalds responded to comments, including one from MSNBC’s Joy Reid, suggesting Trump is using black Americans as props ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

Specifically, Reid remarked, “The one black guy that Republicans love to roll out as fake proof that ‘black people—the blacks are MAGA,’” Reid claimed in video shown by Fox News anchor Shannon Bream. 

Reid continued, claiming, “It’s a joke. It’s just as credible as when they pretended they were going to make that guy speaker of the House, because they ain’t gonna do that either.” 

In response, Donalds said, “First of all, I find Joy’s comment to be nothing more than crabs in a barrel. Just because I have a different way of looking at the world in politics I’m now being used? You can make an argument that MSNBC is using her—but I’m going to move on.” 

He added, “The rally in the Bronx was amazing. You had a very diverse crowd of people from the Bronx – Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, black people, white people – all are supporting President Trump because they have seen the disaster that is New York City.” 

Donalds stressed that the Bronx residents who attended the Trump rally have directly experienced the “disaster” of the Biden administration. 

“They have seen the disaster that has become the United States of America because of the master of disaster Joe Biden himself and they want Donald Trump back,” he said. 

Donalds continued, “We’re looking at expanding the political map not shrinking it based upon race or anything else because that’s what Joy Reid and Joe Biden and the rest of them want to do.” 

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