A federal judge blocked the Biden administration’s freeze on new liquid natural gas export permits on Monday after 16 Republican attorneys general sued the administration over the policy. U.S. District Judge James Cain ruled that the Biden administration had not followed precedent or considered national security impacts when it announced a ban on new natural gas permits earlier this year, issuing an injunction against the policy. Additionally, he ruled that the freeze would harm the states that sued after the policy was announced in January.  The freeze meant that the Department of Energy would not issue any new permits while it updated the authorization process. According to the Biden administration, the freeze applied to countries that the United States did not have free trade agreements with, and “indefinitely” paused natural gas exports to those countries.  “It appears that the DOE has failed to provide a more detailed justification for its halt of the approval process to conduct an update, especially considering that past precedent, which the applicants relied upon, allowed the approval of the applications to proceed when updates were made,” Cain wrote in his decision.  “Also, it appears to this Court that Defendants did not realistically consider the cost/benefit analysis with regard to Plaintiff States’ concerns about the impact on national security, state revenues, employment opportunities, funding for schools and charities, and pollution allegedly caused by increased reliance on foreign energy sources,” the judge added.  Cain’s injunction is in place as litigation against the freeze continues in federal court. The states that sued were Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Cain said that the states, specifically Texas, West Virginia, and Louisiana, had shown that they would be harmed by the freeze, which would result in “loss of revenues, market share, and deprivation of a procedural right.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “This is a big win for the country’s energy industry and the millions of jobs it supports against the attacks from the Biden administration to further its radical climate change agenda at the expense of our economy,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said. “This administration’s Energy Department has no such authority to justify this ban— authority on matters like this lies with Congress and Congress alone.” The White House disagreed with the judge’s ruling, and the Energy Department said it would assess it. “We are disappointed in today’s ruling. We remain committed to informing our decisions with the best available economic and environmental analysis, underpinned by sound science,” White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said. “The United States remains the world’s largest exporter of LNG, and is currently on track to more than double existing capacity by the end of this decade.”

The head of President Joe Biden‘s campaign made a strident claim in defending her boss’s health in a call with about 500 donors on Monday, according to a new report. Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chairwoman of Biden’s re-election effort, sought to offer reassurances after the president rattled Democrats with his shaky performance in his debate last week against former President Donald Trump. “He’s probably in better health than most of us,” Dillon said, participants on the call told CNN. Dillon also reportedly said her team is “clear-eyed, not pollyannish [sic]” about Biden’s showing in the debate and pointed to the White House physician’s report earlier this year that deemed him fit to serve. The news outlet noted that one person on the call “said the comments were offensive and dismissive of the real concerns about Biden in the wake of his debate performance.” The report pointed out that a member of the campaign’s National Finance Committee “said it was disappointing that the top Biden official sought to downplay the concerns, rather than hear them.” Several journalists, pundits, and others responded to the report on social media saying the Biden team’s post-debate defense strategy was ineffective. “‘He’s probably in better health than most of us.’ Just imagine saying that out loud and expecting to be taken seriously,” National Review senior editor Charles C.W. Cooke said in a post to X. “Again, their position is untenable. They can’t tell the truth, that their candidate is well below the threshold of someone who should be president for another 4 years, so they tell obvious lies that nobody but the dumbest partisans will buy,” said pollster Nate Silver. He added, “Maybe nominate Kamala [Harris], Biden’s hand-chosen VP, so you can at least be truthful with the American public? That’s the adult and responsible thing to do. Instead, these selfish staffers will take down the party brand with them.” Many Democrats are reportedly panicking about the upcoming election after 81-year-old Biden’s halting debate presentation. There is growing pressure on Biden to drop out, including from donors and The New York Times editorial board, and give the party the opportunity to pick another person to be selected as the nominee at its convention in August. Post-debate polling from CBS News and YouGov found that 41% of Democratic registered voters and 72% of registered voters overall do not believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president. Half of the respondents said the same of Trump, who is 78. Biden sought to assuage concerns at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Friday, acknowledging to supporters that he is no longer a young man. “I don’t debate as well as I used to,” he also said, adding later, “but I know how to do this job.” Members of Biden’s family urged the president to stay in the race during a weekend gathering at Camp David, sources told The New York Times. First lady Jill Biden told Vogue for its August cover story she “will not let those 90 minutes” from the debate define her husband’s presidency. “We will continue to fight,” she said, adding that President Biden “will always do what’s best for the country.” Trump, in a post to his Truth Social account late Monday, said Biden’s disastrous performance has put “a BIG GAP” between the two candidates for the Democrat to “make up, and with his mind and memory completely shot, and marbles in his mouth, it’s not going to happen!”

For 16 years, the grand jury documents behind Jeffrey Epstein’s 2006 prosecution for sex trafficking have been sealed, but on Monday, a Palm Beach, Florida, judge unsealed the transcripts. Epstein killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody awaiting trial for sex-trafficking, but a decade later he was given a sweetheart deal on similar allegations and served just 13 months in a work-release program after pleading guilty. That deal was reached in 2008, two years after a grand jury was assembled to determine whether Epstein would be indicted on charges he solicited and procured minors for prostitution. The 176-page grand jury document released this week contains new information about Epstein’s crimes, Fox News reported, including specifics about how he paid teenagers who recruited other teens for his sex crimes, the testimony of his victims, and detailed allegations of his rapes. Circuit Judge Luis Delgado, in his order releasing the grand jury documents, said the contents would be disturbing. “It is widely accepted that Epstein is a notorious and serial pedophile,” the order says. “The testimony taken by the Grand Jury concerns activity ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape – all of the conduct at issue is sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal. The details in the record will be outrageous to decent people.” Palm Beach County court clerk and comptroller Joseph Abruzzo announced the release of the documents just before 3 p.m. Monday, noting that a new Florida law had just gone into effect that allows the release of grand jury documents in certain cases. “It is our hope that the release of these records gives peace of mind to our community and gives Jeffrey Epstein’s victims the closure they deserve,” Abruzzo said in the statement, which also included a graphic content warning above the PDF file of the documents. The documents were released in response to a motion from the Palm Beach Post and other news outlets seeking to unseal the grand jury testimony, ABC News reported. The documents are meant to provide answers to how a grand jury could return an indictment on just one count of solicitation of a minor, yet the documents don’t reveal what charging options were presented to the grand jury. Epstein’s crimes began to unravel in the early part of the millennium when two girls at a local Palm Beach high school got into a fight after one called the other a prostitute, the documents revealed. A school official later found $300 in the accused girl’s purse, which was given to her by Epstein, according to the grand jury documents. The girl, 14, testified before the grand jury that she had been told to lie about her life story and say she was 18 years old in order to get $200 after giving Epstein a massage. The girl described how, for the massage, she was asked to strip down to her underwear and was then sexually abused by Epstein. Before long, more victims would be revealed. Epstein’s suicide in 2019 has been the subject of questions and conspiracy theories, with some suggesting he couldn’t have killed himself and was possibly murdered.

Willie Nelson’s son is literally following in his father’s footsteps — he even took over his dad’s entire performance when the beloved singer was feeling ill! At 91, the country legend was scheduled to play the 2024 Outlaw Music Festival. However, American Songwriter tells us that a temporary health issue prevented him from going. When Nelson’s doctors recommended that he take some time to rest, his son, Lukas, was more than happy to fill in. Although fans were definitely disappointed at not being able to see the Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain singer live, Lukas Nelson delivered an unforgettable tribute to his father’s work. In fact, one social media user admitted to crying during the concert! Hearing Willie Nelson’s son cover Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground moved him so deeply, he had to share the experience online. “Lukas singing this line made a grown man cry thinkin about Willie,” wrote the user. “I am that man.” @delaroache1 The power of music. Wow, what a gift to humanity. Love is the greatest healer. #Getwellwillie #musictherapy #outlawmusicfestival2024 #willienelson #lukasnelson #musictherapy @Lukas Nelson & POTR @WillieNelson ♬ original sound – delaroache Don’t worry: Willie Nelson is fine. Thankfully, fans can stop worrying about the elderly musician for now. According to an Instagram post, Willie Nelson’s son won’t need to fill in for his dad much longer. In fact, his doctors have given him the green light to rejoin the Outlaw Music Festival Tour for the remaining dates! He’ll be appearing alongside Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Celisse. “Willie Nelson has been cleared by his doctors to go back on the road again,” read an update from the star’s official account. “He will resume performing on the Outlaw Tour next week.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Willie Nelson (@willienelsonofficial) However, we haven’t seen the last of Willie Nelson’s son on this tour. The same post announced that Lukas would continue to have “his own set” in the festival lineup. How awesome is it that father and son are touring together? You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Willie Nelson’s Son Pulls Off Another Stunning Cover For His Sick Father & Fans Can’t Contain Themselves appeared first on InspireMore.

'Going to get torn to shreds'

A video shared on Facebook claims CNN Vice President David Chalian mentioned former First Lady Michelle Obama while discussing the 2024 presidential debate. Verdict: False The claim is false. A spokesperson for CNN denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact. Fact Check: Nearly 75% of registered voters think President Joe Biden […]

'Most fundamental tenets'

A post shared on social media purportedly shows an image of singer Amy Winehouse’s mugshot. 19. Amy Winehouse pic.twitter.com/70kRuYZFw9 — Pop Archive (@pop_archives) June 24, 2024 Verdict: False The claim is inaccurate. Fact Check: Singer Justin Timberlake appeared to joke about his recent arrest and DWI charge during a show in Boston when he asked if attendees […]

'Swift, safe, and humane repatriation'

'The Seventh Circuit’s application of its definition is nonsensical'