LinkSwarm for August 25, 2023

More DOJ wrangling over Hunter Biden’s trial, bodies from Maui’s woke catastrophe continues to pile up, Texas sues Planned Parenthood over Medicaid fraud, Andy Ngo wins damages, and Dicks shrinks. It’s the Friday LinkSwarm!



  • “‘Quid-Pro F-You Dad’: Hunter’s Lawyers Threatened To Force Joe To Testify Unless Plea Deal Reached.”

    Hunter Biden’s lawyers played heavy with the Department of Justice, effectively threatening to force President Joe Biden to testify in any criminal trial against the First Son if a plea agreement wasn’t reached over his multiple alleged crimes.

    “President Biden now unquestionably would be a fact witness for the defense in any criminal trial,” wrote Hunter Biden attorney Chris Clark in a 32-page letter last fall, Politico reports, calling the news that there was enough evidence to charge Hunter an “illegal” leak.

    That letter, along with more than 300 pages of previously unreported emails and documents exchanged between Hunter Biden’s legal team and prosecutors, sheds new light on the fraught negotiations that nearly produced a broad plea deal. That deal would have resolved Biden’s most pressing legal issues — the gun purchase and his failure to pay taxes for several years — and it also could have helped insulate Biden from future prosecution by a Republican-led Justice Department.

    The documents show how the deal collapsed — a sudden turnabout that occurred after Republicans bashed it and a judge raised questions about it. The collapse renewed the prospect that Biden will head to trial as his father ramps up his 2024 reelection bid.

  • “Maui Wildfires Can Be Classified as First Woke-Caused Disaster.”

    The number of people unaccounted for has stubbornly remained at about 1,000, suggesting that the death toll will almost undoubtedly increase.

    As the staggering toll continues to be tallied, it is becoming apparent that the Maui wildfires may reasonably be classified as the first “woke-caused” disaster.

    To begin with, the rush to eliminate carbon emissions may have killed the implementation of effective fire prevention policies.

    Legal Insurrection readers recall my recent reports that downed power lines were being blamed as the initiating case of the fire. At the end of 2019, Hawaiian Electric issued a press release about wildfire risks assessed after hurricane-based winds contributed to a 2018 blaze.

    The Wall Street Journal notes that Hawaiian Electric was well aware of the potential for this situation, but diverted resources away from fire safety support in order to meet state-required green energy mandates.

    In 2015, lawmakers passed legislation mandating that the state derive 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045, the first such requirement in the U.S.

    The company dove into reaching the goals, stating in 2017 that it would reach the benchmark five years ahead of schedule.

    In 2019, under pressure to replace the output of two conventional power plants set to retire, the company sought to contract for 900 megawatts of renewable energy, the most it had pursued at any one time.

    “You have to look at the scope and scale of the transformation within [Hawaiian Electric] that was occurring throughout the system,” said Mina Morita, who chaired the state utilities commission from 2011 to 2015. “While there was concern for wildfire risk, politically the focus was on electricity generation.”

    When you have limited capital, choices have to be made. However, Hawaiian Electric may have made different choices if woke legislators adhering to climate change theology didn’t mandate the drive to renewables.

    Equity considerations are apparently another contributing factor in this disaster. A state water official delayed the release of water that landowners wanted to help protect their property from fires, because water is to be revered and not used.

  • Biden’s Justice Department sues Elon Musk’s Space X for not hiring illegal aliens. (Hat tip: Stephen Green at Instapundit.)
  • “Charlotte Pride now says no one will be awarded the 2023 Harvey Milk award for exceptional “LGBT+” advocacy after the announced winner’s past as a convicted child sex offender came to light.” What are the odds? (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
  • “San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese Files for Bankruptcy amid Hundreds of Outstanding Sexual-Assault Lawsuits.” Huh, if only there were some reason the San Francisco Archdiocese might have more pedophiles than other archdioceses…
  • Planned Parenthood Medicaid Fraud Lawsuit Could Cost Organization $1.8 Billion.”

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood that, depending on the ruling, could reportedly have “devastating consequences” for the abortion-providing organization.

    The case, which was heard on August 15 by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, could determine whether Planned Parenthood will have to pay back upwards of $1.8 billion to the state/federal government.

    If Kacsmaryk rules in favor of the OAG, the large sum that would need to be paid out is, according to Vox, “more than enough to bankrupt Planned Parenthood Federation of America.”

    The Texas OAG filed the lawsuit in 2022 on behalf of Alex Doe, an anonymous realtor, who is alleging that despite the organization being removed from Texas Medicaid it has continued to receive payments from the program.

  • Amarillo City Council: Hey voters, want to pass this bond to help us rebuild a civic center? Voters: Nah. Amarillo City Council: Well, we’re just going to do it anyway. Judge: REJECTED! AGAIN!.
  • Another Babylon Bee prophecy fulfilled: “New York Times publishes op-ed titled ‘Elections Are Bad for Democracy.'”
  • Three of Andy Ngo’s attackers must pay him $100,000 each. “Defendants Corbyn “Katherine” Belyea, Madison “Denny” Lee Allen, and Sammich Overkill Schott-Deputy were found liable by Judge Sinaplasai for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
  • “Texas State Library to Cut Ties with Controversial American Library Association.” Good.
  • Dicks suffers shrinkage.
  • Real life horror story with a happy ending.
  • Bad: Stealing a package off a porch. Worse: Stealing a porch.
  • Now you can own Bruce Lee’s nunchucks. Assuming you have a spare $30,000 lying around…
  • Yo, dawg, we heard you liked France, so we put a miniature France in your France.
  • “Hilary Makes Landfall, Destroying Over 30,000 Emails.”
  • “CDC Announces Deadly New ‘Electionyearicron’ Covid Variant.”
  • Bachelor party turns into dog rescue party.
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    One Response to “LinkSwarm for August 25, 2023”

    1. Man_in_PA says:

      “President Biden now unquestionably would be a fact witness for the defense in any criminal trial.”

      I think President Biden would be a fact witness for the prosecution.

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