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THE 4PM: A HIGHLIGHT REEL OF TODAY’S NEWS. FOR CONSERVATIVES. EVERY AFTERNOON AT 4PM.

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MAGA Lawmakers’ ‘Disrespectful’ Reaction to Zelenskyy Speech Sparks Outrage

A handful of conservative Republicans lawmakers have faced criticism for declining to stand or applaud during Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Congress.

SO WHAT

U.S. support of Ukraine’s war effort against Russia is dividing the GOP, with major implications for U.S. foreign policy.

THE DETAILS

As Zelenskyy drew repeated bipartisan standing ovations Wednesday, Axios congressional reporter Andrew Solender tweeted the names of seven “MAGA” Republicans who remained seated, at least until near the end of the address.

  • Immediately afterward, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., posted a video to Twitter in which she opposed further Ukraine aid until “Congress receives a full audit of where our money has already gone.”
  • Other GOP lawmakers boasted about boycotting Zelenskyy’s surprise speech.
  • Amid widespread media backlash against the “disrespectful” Republicans, Salon senior politics editor Amanda Marcotte distinguished herself with an essay condemning “the fascist faction” of the GOP.

THE FIGHT ON THE RIGHT

 

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A day ahead of Zelenskyy’s adress, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy made opposing statements that effectively summed up their party’s widening split over Ukraine aid.

  • McConnell told reporters: “Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans.”
  • But McCarthy, speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, vowed “no more blank checks” for Ukraine after Republicans take the majority next session.

THE LAST WORD

“Your money is not charity,” Zelenskyy argued in his speech, apparently appealing to his skeptics. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

  • Zelenskyy said the world is “too interconnected and interdependent” for America to “stand aside and at the same time feel safe when such a battle continues.”
  • Earlier Wednesday, the Senate voted for $45 billion in funding for Ukraine and NATO allies against Russia, on top of more than $100 billion that Congress has already appropriated for the cause.

WaPo Says DEA Seized Enough Fentanyl to Kill Everyone in America. It’s Way Worse Than That.

An alarming Washington Post headline about fentanyl seizures actually understates the deadly threat from the drugs.

SO WHAT

It’s hard to exaggerate the scale of America’s fentanyl crisis.

THE HEADLINE

The Post’s widely circulated Tuesday headline — “DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every person in the U.S. in 2022” — was based on a statement by Anne Milgram, the director of the Drug Enforcement Agency.

  • The DEA said Tuesday that it has confiscated more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 50.6 million fentanyl tablets so far this year, up from less than half as many pills in 2021.
  • “DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two Mexican drug cartels — the Sinaloa and Jalisco (CJNG) Cartels — that are primarily responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today,” Milgram said.

OK, BUT

As the Post noted lower down in the report, Customs and Border Protection has also seized more than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, at the southern border this year, more than ever before.

  • U.S. authorities have estimated they only catch 5-10% of the illegal fentanyl that is flooding across the border, meaning the total amount in 2022 may have exceeded 48,000 pounds.
  • If 2 milligrams is a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, as per the DEA, then 48,000 pounds is enough to kill about 11 billion people, or everyone on earth and then some.

THE BOTTOM LINE

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl overdoses were the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18-45 last year, claiming a record-high 71,238 lives.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation…”

— the FBI on reports that it pushed Twitter to restrict speech

A “Twitter Files” investigation by independent journalists Bari Weiss, Matt Taibbi and others has revealed how the FBI pressured Twitter to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story and otherwise regulate speech on the influential social media platform.

  • The FBI’s response on Wednesday: “It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency.”
  • Writer Michael Shellenberger — the author of the latest “Twitter files” report, based on internal company communications — noted Thursday that the FBI had not in fact denied any of his key findings.

SUPERCUT: Watch Biden’s Worst Moments of 2022 in 2 Minutes

President Joe Biden turned 80 this year, and it showed.

THE 4PM POLL: Should the FBI be abolished?


Send us your thoughts about this poll or anything else at .

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS

In Wednesday’s poll, we asked, “Who should be the next speaker of the House?”

  • 41% of you said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
  • 33% said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.
  • 14% said it should be somebody else.
  • 13% said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

FROM THE MAILBAG

David wrote to us to endorse a former Trump administration official: “Nikki Haley – she would be a great speaker.”

Who’s Having a Bad Day on Twitter: @JoJoFromJerz

Even Joanne Carducci’s employer piled-on after some of the progressive Twitter influencer’s nearly 800,000 followers were scammed by her account in recent days.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Elon Musk Spotted Hanging Out With Jared Kushner

 

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk was spotted at the World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday with Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior presidential advisor.

THE 4PM: A HIGHLIGHT REEL OF TODAY’S NEWS. FOR CONSERVATIVES. EVERY AFTERNOON AT 4PM.