🇺🇸 Hunter's Offer

Good morning, and happy Thursday. Keepers at Chester Zoo were left thrilled following the safe arrival of a new eastern black rhino calf when mother Zuri gave birth in the daylight, allowing the staff to record the occasion.

Plus, New Yorkers were treated to an annual spectacle Wednesday morning known as "reverse Manhattanhenge," when the sunrise aligns with the borough's street grid.

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Hunter’s Offer

Hunter Biden offered to testify before Congress as long as the hearing is held in public. House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) rejected the idea, which was proposed in a letter from Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell. Comer has stated that, like any other congressional investigation, there would be a deposition behind closed doors first and then a hearing where Hunter Biden could testify in public. The deposition is scheduled for December 13th.

Reporting from the Right: House Oversight Chair Rebuffs Hunter Biden bid for public testimony: ‘That won’t stand’ (New York Post) 

Reporting from the Left: Hunter Biden willing to testify publicly before House committee, lawyer says (Axios)

From The Flag: Three separate congressional committees are investigating Hunter Biden, who was charged in September with three counts related to possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs. After the indictment, a plea deal collapsed, and Hunter is pleading not guilty to the charges. Here’s what both sides are saying.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Accountability for Hunter Long Overdue

• “…to deliver actual accountability to the public, Congress must close the doors and make Biden deliver the goods that, for national security purposes, are probably not safe for TV.”

• Hunter Biden has coasted too long on his family’s name and it is about time that he faces consequences for his actions.

• This is all just political theater coming from both the House GOP as well as Hunter Biden’s camp.

Hunter Biden deserves the Don Jr. treatment from Congress, Tiana Lowe Doescher, Washington Examiner: “Now, nearly three years into his father's presidency, the first son has been slapped with a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee. The younger Biden has pretended to be compliant with the authorities all along, demanding a public hearing on Dec. 13. … the real problem with a public testimony is not that deferential Democrats would filibuster their five minutes of questioning to wax poetic about a father's love for his son. Rather, the prodigal son has spent so many decades cruising from Lake Como to Kazakhstan while trading on the Biden family name that in a public hearing, Biden would either: Refuse to answer questions under the phony excuse of preserving national security, or refuse to answer questions under the actual excuse of preserving national security. The former would be a lie, but the latter would be far more terrifying, as it would indicate that Biden was indeed implicated in his father's work while he was a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Hunter Biden is finally going to face hard questions from those who won’t ‘ask nicely’, Jonathan Turley, New York Post: “Biden has long shown a sense of entitlement when asked about his past. … Hunter will now have to answer questions on pain of perjury after years of protection from the media and Democrat-controlled houses. For decades, the Bidens (including Hunter’s uncles) have cashed in on their connections to Joe Biden when he was a senator, vice president and president. Despite that history, the Bidens have been able to largely avoid inquiries into their alleged corrupt practices. This was facilitated by an obliging media that long dismissed the scandal. Recently, media figures are admitting that Hunter was indeed selling influence, but insist that it was an ‘illusion.’ When witnesses detailed how Joe Biden would call into meetings or dinners and be put on speakerphone with foreign associates, Democratic members like Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) insisted it was merely ‘niceties.’ The committee will now be able to ask Hunter Biden for specific answers on millions in transfers from foreign sources using dozens of shell companies and accounts. This money found its way to a variety of Bidens, including grandchildren.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Jockeying over Hunter Biden House Testimony, Andrew C. McCarthy, National Revier

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

House GOP is Scared of a Public Testimony

• It’s clear that the House GOP isn’t confident about what would happen in a public testimony and is trying to avoid public embarrassment.

• “The GOP’s lead inquisitor wants the president’s son to testify—as long as it’s behind closed doors.”

• Rep. Jamie Raskin called out the House GOP because they fear a public hearing would show they did not have evidence to prove President Biden's wrongdoing.

GOP mocked for rejecting Hunter Biden offer to testify publicly, Hayes Brown, MSNBC: “But rather than fight the subpoena, Hunter Biden appears eager, maybe too eager, to appear before the GOP-led panel. In a letter from his lawyer on Tuesday, Biden not only agreed to testify but to do so in an open committee session. And in his response, Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., made clear how caught off guard he was — and how unprepared he is to back up his tough talk in public. … The Oversight Committee has already held numerous closed-door interviews with people in the Bidens’ orbit, including Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner. Archer’s interview, in particular, was exploited by Republicans who teased out portions that sounded damning, including that Joe Biden had spoken numerous times with his sons’ business associates. Once the full transcripts were released, however, it became clear just how much of a stretch the GOP was making in their characterization of Archer’s testimony as damning for the president.”

The Hunter Biden Testimony James Comer Doesn’t Want You to See, Tori Otten, The New Republic: “But despite demanding for months that Biden testify, even subpoenaing him in early November, Comer quickly rejected the offer. … Comer’s response is likely to get pushback from Biden’s legal team. Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell accused Comer in a letter on Tuesday of using ‘closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort the facts and misinform the public.’ Notably, Comer had also said he would testify about his own business dealings with his brother—so long as Biden testified too. But now that Biden’s offer is on the table, Comer is backing away. … Republicans have repeatedly insisted that Biden and his father, President Joe Biden, are guilty of corruption, even opening an impeachment inquiry into the president over Hunter’s business deals. Not only have they produced no hard evidence, their own star witnesses have repeatedly refuted the GOP’s claims.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: GOP mocked for rejecting Hunter Biden offer to testify publicly, Tatyana Tandanpolie, Salon

FLAG THIS

“President Biden Knew,” says America

Per Hunter’s other alleged illicit dealings, three out of five Americans believe President Biden was aware of what was happening. According to a Harvard-Harris Poll, 60% of respondents think President Biden helped and participated in his son’s business dealings, while 40% do not believe he helped or participated.

While there’s no clear evidence pointing to the claim, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to believe that President Biden was involved. 81% of Republicans believe this claim compared to 39% of Democrats. Alternatively, 61% of Democrats said Biden had no knowledge of his son’s business dealings, while 19% of Republicans thought the same (The Hill).

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Today I learned 250 million years all continents on our planet will converge and form a new supercontinent, Pangea Ultima. This may also lead to a climate tipping point and Earth becoming uninhabitable for mammals.