Opinion
By Jeff Childers

06-28-24
Good morning, C&C, itβs Friday! Todayβs essential news roundup: Full coverage of the Biden debate disaster; Supreme Court whacks the deep state in encouraging roundup of issued orders while the nation breathlessly awaits the biggest ones; Ukraine top comedian Zelensky finally calls for peace, but is anybody still listening?; simple prescription for reducing womenβs cancer risk involving harmless sea creatures; and conservatives score another anti-DEI victory out in the hinterlands.
π C&C MORNING MONOLOGUE π
πͺπͺ We begin with a shout-out to Floridaβs Fernandina Beach, which tomorrow hosts its first annual Christian Heritage parade, two weeks after the townβs so-called βprideβ parade. On June 18th, Fernandina Beach Mayor Bradley Bean declared June 29th as Christian Heritage Day in the little seaside city.

The long-overdue parade was organized by Fernandinaβs active and joyful First Baptist Church and its stand-out pastor Zach Terry. If youβre anywhere nearby, you should head over for what is sure to be a heartwarming and hope-filled event.
Local, local, local!
ππ¬ WORLD NEWS AND COMMENTARY π¬π
π₯π₯ Joe Bidenβs halting debate performance against President Trump last night was a shock and a surprise to a large number of ordinary Americans who just woke up from a coma. As for we unlucky non-coma victims, whoβve had to sit through the entire show, we knew this day was coming sooner or later. NBC ran its version of the Titanic-sized disaster story under the bizarre βbut truthfulβ headline, β‘Babbling’ and ‘hoarse’: Biden’s debate performance sends Democrats into a panic.β Instead of delivering Dark Brandon, the Democrats served up Murky Mr. Magoo.

Uh, uh, uh, uh. If it werenβt for low standards, Joe would have no standards, and he demands the same of himself. When I read the articleβs best sentence, a perfect rhetorical gem, I laughed into my coffee, accidentally sluicing hot java right through my beard. Despite that scalding, Iβd still like to shake the NBC reporterβs hand for crafting this unintentionally hilarious but profound sentence, which should have been the articleβs headline:

Haha! But donβt get the wrong idea. The debate was a four-alarm fire for democrats, but NBC rolled out the trucks and ladders, with the damage control starting right from the minimizing subheadline, which suggested the former Vice President only had a sore throat: βThe president often had a weak, raspy voice during his first debate against Trump in what Democrats had hoped would be a turning point in the race.β
Tragically for the Biden Campaign, the rush of events forced them to commit to a weak, early excuse: Biden had a cold. I was sick and couldnβt turn in my homework!

For a time, they tried to hold the line of criticism, but as you will see the fire rapidly burned out of control. Right after the debate, only 33% of CNNβs cherry-picked debate watchers thought Biden won the debate, his lowest score to date:

Theyβre going to need a better narrative. NBC reported that, back when they thought Dark Brandon was showing up, βthe Biden campaign acknowledged that the debate would be a critical moment in the election, with officials hoping it could shake up the race to his benefit.β
More 2024 records were set yesterday. Yesterdayβs was the earliest Presidential debate in history. It was the first in history scheduled before either man has been officially nominated as the candidate of their political party. So, technically, it wasnβt even a presidential debate. And it was the first without a live debate audience. And, of course, it was the first time ever that a sitting President debated the immediately preceding President.
If there was one gaffe that defined the entire sordid show, it was when, at one point, Biden erratically and inexplicably claimed, βWe finally beat Medicare.β I am not making that up. Iβve searched everywhere and nobody seems to know what he meant. But Bidenβs mysterious anti-Medicare boast capped off a long, crepusclar ramble that was arguably even more senseless, and which truly must be seen and heard to be believed (CLIP 1-funny, CLIP 2-straight). Hereβs how NBC described it:

Hereβs a transcript of the tail end of the Leader of the Free World desperately searching for his lost train of thought:
JOE BIDEN: βMaking sure that weβre able to make every single solitary person, eh, uh, eligible β¦ for what I’ve been able to do with, the uh, covid, excuse me, with umm dealing with everything we had to deal with. Uh. Look, if β¦ we finally beat Medicare!β
JAKE TAPPER: βThank you, President Biden.β (quickly cuts mike).
Charitably, maybe Biden got confused about which one was the virus and which one was the vast, socialized healthcare bureaucracy. But Iβm only guessing. Somewhere, out in space, far beyond the Galactic core, puzzled aliens are setting up whole new institutes to ponder the deep meaning behind Joeβs enigmatic profundities.
Nearly as bad was Joeβs pitiful effort to explain the Supreme Courtβs ruling in Roe v. Wade. At least, I think that was what he was trying to do. Scientists have determined that, at our present level of knowledge, itβs impossible to say for sure:

Shortly thereafter, Biden soberly informed CNNβs cameras and the free world that many women βraped by their sistersβ need abortions.
You can imagine the Schaudenfraudey field day conservatives are enjoying, taking well-deserved victory laps, making βcheap fakeβ memes, and posting mean tweets, which all sort of miss the bigger point that this stuttering relic has his shaky finger resting on the nuclear button, and we arenβt sure whether he knows itβs not a buzzer for more ice cream. But nevermind that for now.
Letβs see how democrats responded to Murky Magoo.

They pulled that blasphemous headline quote out of Michelle Goldbergβs hot take, in which she pulled Bidenβs plug. At least, thatβs how she felt last night:


Bidenβs performance deeply moved Thomas Friedman, just not in a good way. Tom made the unmanly admission that the debate broke his leathery heart and made him cry:

After watching Bidenβs latest βcheap fakeβ performance for himself, hard-left liberal Friedman sadly said he was no longer giving Biden the benefit of any doubt:

There was much more. The New York Times was packed to the gills with op-eds penned by a synchronized flock of whiny liberals who are all chirping for Bidenβs withdrawal from the race:

In his own separate full-length piece, NYT Deputy Opinion Editor Pat Healy glumly admitted Bidenβs awful performance was another 2024-style, record-shattering bit of history-making. Just not the good kind:

Healy saw what we all saw: a sad, drooling, demented octogenarian who obviously isnβt up to the job, and who is rapidly degenerating from bad to worse:

In the first couple of hours following last nightβs performance, they tried to cover for Biden, but it was so bad they couldnβt explain it away. Corporate media offered two excuses: Biden had a cold and Trump lied worse than Pinnochio. So.
But in fact-checking President Trump, CNN also had to fact-check Biden, and nearly everything the purported President said was either inaccurate or downright wrong:

CLIP: CNN fact checks Joe Biden debate claims (0:49).
Democrats are panicing. Last night, CNNβs Chief National Correspondent John King said some prominent Democrats were already planning a trip to the White House to ask Biden to step down, and others were already publicly calling for him to drop out:

CLIP: top CNN anchor reports Dems pulling the eject lever on Biden (0:54).
Even though the debate didnβt finish until late last night, the demands for a replacement Democrat candidate began flooding in faster than a totally-normal, post-Derecho βweather eventβ in Ohio. Corporate media immediately published more op-eds by bleary-eyed pundits calling for oleaginous Gavin Newsom to step in.

Itβs almost like they planned it this way. For some poorly-explained reason, last night California Governor and lockdown lunatic Gavin Newsom was in Atlanta, at the debate. Standing by, so to speak.
Though he disclaimed any interest in running, why would he?, it hasnβt stopped democrat demands. Hereβs an example headline, this one from Bloomberg run early this morning (6:00am):

Or, this straight-news headline, from Business Insider (5:20am):

There were lots more. At this point, I suppose I should say that Californians are less impressed with their Governor than desperate national democrats. For instance, the LA Times ran this startling op-ed headline yesterday: βThings are not OK in California. Newsom’s State of the State was delusional.β The author of the LA Timesβ op-ed seemed less impressed with Gavinβs qualifications:

Just now, we are still soaking in the βhot takes hot tub,β recuperating in the aftermath of that toxic political train wreck. And I havenβt even begun to tote up the reactions from the rest of the world, including our allies who arenβt sold-out partisans and already have a skeptical eye about Joe. But hereβs a taste, headline from Politico this morning:

Soon, after the dust settles, even more difficult questions will emerge. Consider the 25th Amendment. So stay tuned.
π¨ββοΈπ¨ββοΈ Yesterday, the Supreme Court stingily offered up a few more decisions. They were nearly all good news. Axios ran an unexpectedly insightful headline yesterday afternoon: βSCOTUS pushes Trump immunity decision to after Biden debate.β That might be the best guess so far as to why the Supreme Court is still holding its big cases. They didnβt want to affect the debate. Now, the Justices are probably thinking they should have just gone for it.

What we did get though was more incremental progress. In a very encouraging sign, the Associated Press ran a story headlined, βThe Supreme Court strips the SEC of a critical enforcement tool in fraud cases.β The Supremes issued their opinion in the Jarkezy case. In a 6-3 vote, the Court held that people accused of fraud by the SEC have a Constitutional right to a jury trial in federal court, as opposed to the in-house proceedings the SEC likes to use in civil fraud complaints.
Jarkesyβs lawyers noted that the SEC wins almost all the cases it brings in front of its own administrative law judges, but it only wins around half (60%) of the cases it tries in federal court before juries.
The opinion included some pretty solid quotes. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority, holding that βA defendant facing a fraud suit has the right to be tried by a jury of his peers before a neutral adjudicator.β But scunnered Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who spitefully read her dissent aloud in the courtroom, complaining that people βwho seek to dismantle the administrative stateβ would surely βrejoiceβ in the majorityβs decision.
That includes me! Dismantle the Administrative State! Do it now! The decision isnβt limited to the SEC. It effectively cut off all Executive Branch agencies from convicting Americans without due process. Speaking of the Administrative State, closely synonymous for βthe Deep State,β we still await the Courtβs Chevron adjustment in the Loper-Bright case. Yesterdayβs decision was a terrific signal that the Administrative State may be about to meet the judicial weed-whacker.
Next up, NPR ran another encouraging story on a lower-profile but still important case, headlined βSupreme Court rejects controversial Purdue Pharma bankruptcy deal.β In a mixed 5-4 decision, the Court said the Sackler family members, who own the criminal pharmaceutical giant, are not entitled to civil and criminal releases as part of the Purdue opioid settlement.
Finally, the Supreme Court popped up again yesterday in a New York Times story with another encouraging headline: βSupreme Court Blocks Biden Plan on Air Pollution.β In another 5-4 vote, the Court upheld an injunction against the EPAβs βGood Neighborβ rules, which seek to regulate power plants whose ozone emissions could conceivably drift across state lines, subjecting them to federal regulation. It was another chop at the Administrative Stateβs thick trunk.
Today is the last scheduled day for Supreme Court orders, with eight big decisions still pending, including the Chevron decision, a controversial January 6th prosecution case, and the history-making Trump Immunity Decision. The Supremes added another order day for Monday, and who knows, they might add even more days. This is the longest and latest Supreme Court session in history.
The Court is running out of less-controversial orders. So we are likely to see more 2024-style history made today. So stay tuned.
ππ Yesterday, the Hindustan Times reported what might be great news, although weβve seen this head-fake before, in an article headlined, βZelenskyβs Big Admission Of Defeat? Says βDonβt Want To Prolong Warβ; Says This On Peace Deal.β Right after putting the U.S. in Russiaβs direct crosshairs by massacering Russian beachgoers, the skillful pianist and top comedian has, at long last, committed to a settlement. One wonders whether a call was made. Hereβs what Ukraineβs former president said:

Ex-president Zelensky was in Brussels yesterday, to sign the latest security agreement with the European Union. He offered the uncharacteristic remarks in a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel.
Western corporate media has unsurprisingly ignored the story, rather completely. Iβm not sure what to make of it. Zelenskyβs odd comment expressly contradicted several official positions. First, Ukraine has not admitted its true casualties, with Zelensky commonly boasting of only 30,000 dead and wounded since the start of the war, a figure nobody believes. And heβs also repeatedly vowed he would never ever negotiate with Russia.
Calling for peace was good timing, what with last nightβs dreadful debate performance making Biden look like a lame duck who might not even know heβs a one-legged aquatic avian.
So, who knows? But Zelenskyβs comments were different, much less bellicose, and much more conciliatory. In terms of the Proxy War, different is good. We pray for progress toward peace.
π¬π¬ Science! The Global Seafood Alliance reported on a new Japanese study in an article headlined, βEating small fish whole can prolong life expectancy, Japanese study finds.β Ladies, the diligent researchers of Japan have concluded that eating whole fish in one big bite can significantly reduce your all-cause risk of dying from cancer. That makes sense!

For men, researchers did not find scales and fish eyeballs made much difference. So, I am hereby encouraging all our gallant C&C husbands to hand over your whole fish to your wives, for safety. Hey, at least itβs not crickets.
Down the hatch! Itβs for your own good. Yum.
π₯π₯ Finally, yesterday brought more terrific news in the global counter-revolution. After a three-week campaign against Tractor Supplyβs grotesque, over-the-top DEI policies, yesterday the rural-goods giant relented, and jettisoned pretty much its entire DEI catalog. The Wall Street Journal ran the terrific story headlined, βTractor Supply Retreats From DEI Amid Conservative Backlash..β The sub-headline added, βTennessee-based retailer said it is ending diversity and environmental efforts after weeks of criticism on social media.β

βWe have heard from customers that we have disappointed them,β the company frankly admitted in a statement posted on Twitter/X. βWe have taken this feedback to heart.β By feedback, the CEO meant dollars.

In its announcement, the company conceded it would start listening to customers, a brave experiment in capitalism not endorsed by Harvardβs business school. The CEO vowed to eliminate all the companyβs race-mongering jobs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. It promised to withdraw its insane βnet zeroβ carbon-emissions plans. The farm retailer also said it would retire its internal DEI goals and β best of all β would stop sponsoring LGBTQ βprideβ festivals and βget out the voteβ campaigns.
Hurrah!
Less exciting, but perhaps most significant of all, Tractor Supply will also stop submitting data to the so-called Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQIA++ advocacy group that is probably run by an intelligence agency somewhere. Tractor Supply also promised to stop trying to boost its pro-globalism βcorporate equality indexβ score.
Tractor Supply, ranked 291 in the Fortune Top 500, and worth over $30 billion dollars, has finally learned that drag queens are not part of the stuff we need out here.
This monumental change is thanks to a brutal Twitter campaign run by conservative political commentator and filmmaker Robby Starbuck over the last several weeks. Starbuck published DEI information he got from whistleblowers inside Tractor Supply, and called for people to stop buying automatic chicken feeders from the retail giant.
One pauses to reflect on how much worse things might have been had Elon Musk not purchased Twitter. But here we are!
Bud Liteβs only remaining customer, Dylan Mulvaney, could not be reached for comment.
Have a fabulous Friday! Enjoy all of todayβs great news, then tomorrow come on back round, yβall, for more rich and savory Coffee & Covid. Depending on what the Supremes do, we may have a lot to talk about.
I cannot do it without help. Consider joining up with C&C to help move the nationβs needle and change minds. I could sure use your help getting the truth out and spreading optimism and hope, if you can: β Learn How to Get Involved π¦
Twitter: jchilders98.
Truth Social: jchilders98.
MeWe: mewe.com/i/coffee_and_covid.
Telegram: t.me/coffeecovidnews
C&C Swag! www.shopcoffeeandcovid.com
Β© 2022, Jeff Childers, all rights reserved
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida