RINGSIDE POLITICS – MAY 25, 2021

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Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere

Today’s Hot Topics:

1) One person is dead and another injured after Border Patrol agents ran them over Thursday near Kingsville, Texas.

According to a news release, Border Patrol agents working on King Ranch near Kingsville ran over two migrants who were hiding in the grass on about 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Officials said the agents were searching large brush areas on foot and by vehicle when they encountered a group of migrants in the area.

One of the migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents informed them that he and another migrant were run over by a Border Patrol vehicle while they hid in the grass.

2) Will military families listen to first lady Jill Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when it comes time to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

We may soon find out now that two major figures in the nascent Biden administration – the first lady and Fauci – joined top military officials Thursday at a virtual town hall to urge serving military, veterans and their families to get vaccinated.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his nurse wife, Hollyanne Milley, also joined the town hall, which was co-organized by the Red Cross and Blue Star Families, a leading military family support group.

The couple modeled good mask behavior, putting theirs on together, while Gen. Milley stressed that the vaccines “have been shown to be safe and effective.”

“Protect yourself, your family and our community,” he said

3) If Joe Biden tells you his great-grandfather was a coal miner, should you believe him? According to a Washington Post fact-check of the president’s recent remarks in Dearborn, Michigan, you should probably stop and pause.

Investigating claims that Biden was lying about his family’s coal mining history, the Post found that “there is little doubt Biden’s great-grandfather was a politician and a mining engineer, not a mine worker. Biden’s great-great-grandfather appears to have spent more time in the mines” – and also dug up several instances of Biden describing his forefather’s job more accurately last October.

As the Post put it, “this is not a repeat of 1988, when Biden repeatedly lifted lines from a British politician’s speech and falsely said he had ancestors who worked 12 hours underground”.

4) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a measure that he says will protect state residents from Silicon Valley’s “power grab on speech, thought and content.”

The Big Tech Bill, as DeSantis calls it, allows residents to fight back against de-platforming and censorship, allowing them to sue tech companies for up to $100,000 in damages for each proven claim in a bid to ensure companies are more transparent about their content moderation practices.

The law requires companies to detail how they reach conclusions about content moderation and stick to those standards consistently, DeSantis said during a press conference on Monday.

The Florida Attorney General will also be able to bring action against tech companies that violate the law, which prohibits the de-platforming of political candidates as well.

Today’s Guests:

1) Steven Hayes, Chairman and President, Americans for Fair Taxation

2) Michelle Hirstius; Author and Commentator; Ringside Politics All-Star

3) Wayne del Corral; Owner of New York Pizza