Photo of the Week
Yesterday, a group of over 100 rushed through and broke a barrier in El Paso to make it to a border gate. The 5th Circuit remains torn between whether Texas can arrest illegal immigrants.
Important Lessons from COVID Lockdowns
Four years after the “15 days to slow the spread” campaign, a Wall Street Journal editorial said it’s evident lockdowns and COVID-19 mitigation policies failed. In fact, they actually caused substantial harm. Lockdowns minimally impacted COVID deaths, generating significant economic, social, and health costs, including nearly 100,000 non-COVID excess deaths. Sweden, with minimal restrictions, fared better in health outcomes. They wrote that prolonged school closures led to learning loss, mental health issues, and decreased life expectancy, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups. Government agencies’ lack of transparency eroded public trust. (I think this actually might be a good move forward). The WSJ board urged reforms that include limiting executive powers during emergencies, ensuring transparency, and renouncing ineffective measures like lockdowns.
Bad News for Biden in Pennsylvania
No one knows Pennsylvania and heartland voters like Salena Zito. In her recent column, she talks to Democratic voters and breaks down why President Biden can’t afford to lose a single voter in Pennsylvania. Biden's grip on the state is tenuous, with middle-of-the-road suburban Democrats expressing disillusionment over rising crime and other issues. Zito writes that many registered Democrats are considering voting against Biden due to concerns over social policies and international conflicts. Biden's narrow victory in 2020 relied heavily on support from Black voters, but recent surveys indicate waning enthusiasm.
More from Zito on American Greatness:
Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, says the reality is that neither Trump nor Biden have much of a margin of error in this evenly divided state.
“It’s hard to imagine large shifts in the electorate short of a historic event,” Borick said. “Biden has a number of weak links in his coalition, and while many of his 2020 voters wouldn’t flip to Trump, the lack of enthusiasm for Biden can translate into some voters taking a pass on the election or taking a flyer on a third-party candidate.”
Rayfield isn’t the only part of the Biden coalition that is detaching from the president, who won the state by a single percentage point in 2020. A large chunk of that support came from Black voters, 92% of whom chose Biden.
Muhlenberg’s survey of voters in Pennsylvania in late December showed Biden only garnering the support of 52% of people of color, while Trump was earning a solid 29%, an eye-popping number for a Republican presidential candidate.
The survey also showed that 65% of registered voters in Pennsylvania don’t believe Biden deserves to be reelected.
RELATED: Why Democrats are losing minority voters (Washington Examiner)
The Unfortunate Rise of Celebrities in the Children’s Book Section
Children’s book author Philip Womack at The Spectator (free registration required) laments the invasion of celebrities into children's literature as a detrimental trend undermining the craft and quality of storytelling. He posits that traditional children's authors are overshadowed by famous personalities seeking to expand their brand rather than provide a good story to children. These books, hastily composed and lacking depth, flood the market, squeezing out genuine literary talent. Womack emphasized the importance of children's literature in shaping young minds and fostering intellectual development. He called on publishers to prioritize and invest in authentic children’s authors rather than celebrity ventures.
Womack wrote:
In many ways, children’s books are the most important section of literature. Good children’s books lay down the groundwork for a happy, successful adulthood. Time and time again, studies show that children who read widely fare better, intellectually and socially, than those that don’t. And, economically and culturally, children’s books have an ever-expanding reach.
Set Your Alarm for DVF Under $50 on Saturday
TBD on whether Congress has a spending plan, but I know I do because I’m a sucker for Target collabs.
This Saturday, March 23, Target will release their collaboration with Diane Von Furstenberg. Shopping the collaboration has gotten better since the disastrous Lily Pulitzer one from a couple years ago. My strategy is to favorite items online that I’m interested in ahead of time and just shop those to keep myself from overbuying just because it’s available. It also saves time during the frenzy before items I actually like sell out.
Check out the Diane Von Furstenberg x Target collection here.
Dinner and a Movie
As Christian Toto writes at Hollywood in Toto, Bardejov, starring Robert Davi, “(sadly) arrives at the perfect time.” Davi plays Rabbi Rafuel Lowy, a Jewish leader striving to protect his community from Nazi oppression. As the threat looms larger, Rafuel devises a daring plan to save his people. Toto concludes in his review, “Bardejov reminds us there are still powerful stories tied to the Holocaust that need to be told on screen.”
In addition to Amazon, it’s also available to stream on AppleTV, YouTube, and other platforms.
Watch with a Jewish and Texas classic — brisket! We will most likely pickup from my favorite place here, Schoepf’s. Here are some other ways to prepare it, courtesy of HEB.