Happy Wednesday!

Today’s Brew was prepared over a campfire in honor of the Boy Scouts of America — a venerable organization which is no more. But first …

Stormy Daniels Testifies at Trump “Hush Money” Trial

Trump’s New York trial took an R-rated turn Tuesday when former stripper Stormy Daniels took the stand.

Since leaving the sex industry, Daniels has gotten a law degree, studied accounting, and become an expert on federal election law. I mean, I assume that’s why she was testifying in a case involving alleged illegal bookkeeping practices and violations of campaign finance laws. It couldn’t possibly be so the jury and electorate could hear the sordid details of sexual encounters with Trump — could it? 

Is Daniels a credible witness? She made money in the past hand over fist by not talking about a relationship with Trump, then by denying a relationship, then by saying she did have a relationship. Now she’s cashing in going after Trump in an election-related case. (Come to think of it, that makes her no different than Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter.)

Meanwhile, a California court ordered her to pay Trump hundreds of thousands in damages, which she vowed never to pay.

So how’s her testimony going? Mostly it’s been out-of-control rambling and salacious details that had the judge admitting the prosecution’s witness was hard to control. Some of her scripted jokes fell so flat that even CNN was grousing about how bad she was looking in front of the jury.

Daniels veered into so many naughty and irrelevant areas that Trump’s lawyers demanded a mistrial, saying her comments were “extraordinarily prejudicial.” Of course, Judge Merchan, who is a Biden donor, denied the motion.

Trump Classified Documents Case Put on “Indefinite” Hold After Revelations About DOJ Document Mishandling

The lawfare effort against Trump had an awful day. The judge in the Florida classified documents case has put an “indefinite” hold on the trial, saying with all the pre-trial issues that have to be settled setting a date would be “imprudent.”

The decision comes mere days after DOJ admitted documents in boxes seized were not in their original condition, and an earlier assertion that they were was wrong. In other words, they manipulated evidence and lied about it.

As Julie Kelly notes, Judge Aileen Cannon is setting the stage to take a cold, hard look at that shocking admission and other issues, including the DOJ’s coordination of the case with the Biden White House. She says it’s “Almost a mini-trial … of Jack Smith.”

Oh damn this is too good.

Cannon set hearings on key motions including selective prosecution, unlawful of appointment of Special Counsel, and what Jack Smith really hoped to avoid–a hearing on the scope of the prosecution team incl Biden White House.

Almost an extended mini… pic.twitter.com/aTs3m9mYRZ

— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 7, 2024

How bad is it? Even Obama Attorney General Eric Holder says the case smells. “Let’s just deal with a very disturbing reality here: this whole process in the documents case has simply not been on the up and up.”

Let’s just deal with a very disturbing reality here: this whole process in the documents case has simply not been on the up and up. https://t.co/lFNcNLd133

— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) May 7, 2024

That’s from Obama’s wing man.

Boy Scouts Changing Its Name to ‘Scouting America’

Wokeness has killed off another great American institution. After 114 years, the Boy Scouts of America is officially changing its name to Scouting America. (Sounds like a slogan for an RV company, but I digress.)

The name change takes effect in 2025.

The Boy Scouts have been collapsing in recent years, accelerated by allowing girls in back in 2019. They call it “inclusion,” but it’s about erasing the distinctions between boys and girls.

Said CEO Roger Krone, who took over last fall, “Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life … This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”

Sounds nice. But how long before they give out merit badges for being able to identify the most genders?

Seriously, why the effort to sandbag an institution designed to turn boys into sturdy young men?  Perhaps from a marketing standpoint, when you are losing members left and right, the best move is to open up the tent flaps and steal customers away from the Girl Scouts. But at what cost?

“God help us,” said Dallas radio show host Mark Davis, “we can’t have ‘boy scouts’ anymore.”

MIT Dumps DEI From Faculty Hiring

Good news. The brainiacs at MIT are finally using some of their brain cells again. The school confirmed to UnHerd Saturday that it is getting rid of its DEI requirements for new faculty members. Previously, the school mandated that potential faculty submit diversity, equity, and inclusion statements with their applications. This amounted to an ideological litmus test.

MIT becomes the first elite school to jump off the DEI train.

Why’d they do it? Because it’s a flop. MIT President Sally Kornbluth said, “We can build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work.”

The bad news? MIT might lose out on professors who think it’s swell to show up to class as a furry.

Another gem from Libs of TikTok:

Why does UC Berkeley @UCBerkeley allow a professor to show up to teach dressed as furry? Extremely bizarre and inappropriate. pic.twitter.com/bPKdFJBS9Y

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 6, 2024

Glad that didn’t happen at the University of Arkansas; Simba there would have ended up in a stew.

A Majority Believe Disney Should Return to Its Wholesome Roots?

We started the Brew with a bit about an adult film star, so let’s end it with wholesome family entertainment. Or at least a plea for Disney to return to what it used to do so well.

According to a new Rasmussen survey, fully 71% of respondents believe “Disney should return to wholesome programming and allow parents to decide when their children are taught about sexuality.”

You mean like the duck who ran around without any pants? The young beauty who shacked up with seven men? The mouse who engaged in sorcery? (We jest.)

Meanwhile, 53% strongly believe Disney should get back to what it did better than anyone else and give up the woke and LGBTQ indoctrination themes.

Rasmussen also asked if LGBTQIA programming is “appropriate for children under the age of 12”; 54% said “no.” Roughly a third said “yes,” and 13% said they didn’t know.

If you say, “I believe” enough, maybe Disney — like Tinkerbell — will come back to life.

Along The Stream

Things are always subject to change, but later this morning, Jules Gomes reports “Catholic Academics Call for Pope Francis to Resign or Be Removed, Citing ‘Unprecedented Crisis.’” He’ll also be dropping at 9 a.m. “Jesus Willingly Died for All Our Sins – So Please Stop Blaming the Jews for ‘Committing Deicide.’”  

Meanwhile, Al’s Afternoon Tea is still fresh and tasty with “Mayhem at the Met Gala; Can Shrimp and Grits Solve the Middle East Crisis?”

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.