Happy Monday!

Here we go with another week of The Brew. And look! No stories on the Alex Murdaugh murder trial! If only Murdaugh had dated Meghan Markle, the circle of media obsessions would be complete.

Report: Classified Govt. Report Concluded COVID-19 Most Likely Originated from an Accidental Leak at the Wuhan Lab

COVID-19 most likely originated from an accidental leak at the Wuhan Lab, according to classified report recently delivered to the White House and select members of Congress from the Department of Well-DUH! Okay, it was actually out of the Dept. of Energy. The Wall Street Journal broke news of the report Sunday.

How many voices were strangled for suggesting the virus came from the Wuhan lab? Sen. Tom Cotton was denounced by both the Washington Post and New York Times for pushing the “fringe theory” of a lab leak. The Post insisted the story was “debunked,” and their “fact-checker” Glenn Kessler said, “It is virtually impossible for this virus jump from the lab.”

Sen. Cotton isn’t taking a victory lap. He’s wondering what the Biden administration is going to do about it.

Re. China’s lab leak, being proven right doesn’t matter.

What matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again.

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) February 26, 2023

Rep. Andy Biggs gives the American people kudos for getting it right.

Americans knew this from Day One.

Unfortunately, Big Tech and Big Government silenced them. https://t.co/2mvnYcQF95

— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 26, 2023

On Saturday night, another sign that the barricade of lies about COVID is crumbling.

Wow. You’re Allowed to Say It Now?  (Then Again, Maybe Not)

Remember when late night shows like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon were doing skits and monologues pressuring you to take the jab? And you were thrown off Twitter and Facebook and YouTube if you said anything less than “Hosanna” about COVID-19 vaccines?

Here’s a quote that would have had you banned and called a grandma killer.

The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes, and people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over.

If you said that a year ago you would have been toast. Boy have things changed. That quote was from actor Woody Harrelson’s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live this weekend. He was talking about reading a movie script.

Woody Harrelson hosted Saturday Night Live and used his opening monologue to criticize Big Pharma's response to COVID-19:

"The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in… pic.twitter.com/i0PfNrlcGd

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) February 26, 2023

“I threw the script away, I mean, who’s ever going to believe something like this?!”

We lived through it, and still can’t believe it. And yeah, can’t believe we just heard a major Hollywood star call out the jab and the lockdowns and Big Pharma on Saturday Night Live!

Still, almost as if to prove Harrelson’s point that Big Pharma has bought up all the media, Woody was immediate hit with charges of being a “conspiracy” peddler.

Woody Harrelson: "The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media…"

Media: pic.twitter.com/6qGOLpr6AQ

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) February 26, 2023

Jesus Revolution Scores With Audiences … as Campuses Turn to Christ

While we’re on the subject of Cheers alumni, Kelsey Grammer’s new movie Jesus Revolution opened Friday. The film about the birth of the Jesus Movement is getting a huge thumbs up from viewers, currently earning a 99% positive rating from verified movie-goers on Rotten Tomato.

The faith-based flick landed in third place at the box office, earning an estimated $15.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Not bad, considering it was up against Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Cocaine Bear.

Meanwhile our Aliya Kuykendall wasn’t at the movies Friday night. She was down at Baylor University taking part in the Asbury University-led Collegiate Day of Prayer. A powerful evening of worship and fellowship it was.  “I Traveled to Baylor to Taste What God is Doing There.”

Dr. Michael Brown shares some advice for the church in the wake of the current outbreak of revival. “Lessons From the Old Jesus Revolution for the New Jesus Revolution.”

East Palestine. Who’s Zoomin’ Who?

Three weeks after a train derailment and controlled burn of toxic chemicals poisoned the town of East Palestine, Joe Biden announced the Feds are (finally) going door-to-door to check on residents.

But don’t expect Joe to be one of them. He said Friday he has “no plans” to visit the stricken city, saying he did a two-hour Zoom meeting with “his team” about it. Actually, he couldn’t remember the word “Zoom.” Had to be fed the word by a reporter. “Zoom!,” he said, “All I can think of every time I think of Zoom is that song in my generation, ‘Who’s Zoomin’ Who’?” (Aretha Franklin’s smash was released in 1985 when Biden was 43.)

Biden went on to say, “I’ve spoken with every single major figure in both Pennsylvania and in Ohio.” One problem. He hasn’t bothered to speak to the Mayor of East Palestine. And scoffed at Mayor Trent Conaway’s assertion while Biden was running around Ukraine that the president “doesn’t care” about the town.

Scarier, Biden “can’t recall” if he spoke to the mayor.

🤦🏼‍♀️ I give up ~ ~ ABC's David Muir: "So do you plan to travel [to East Palestine] and have you talked with the mayor?" 

Biden: "I can't recall…" pic.twitter.com/yJFj7MDvEp

— Mary (@matjendav4) February 25, 2023

Hey, Joe, we’re naming Aretha Franklin hits, why not try “Respect”? We’re long past “Think” with you.

A Fundamental Change Re: Trump?

Speaking of Saturday Night Live, the show’s cold open featured Donald Trump speaking to the people of East Palestine.

James Austin Johnson’s impersonation of Trump is uncanny. Hysterical because it is so uncanny. Even more surprising for SNL, the portrayal was flattering. Endearing. More akin to Trump’s actual appearances on SNL back in the day than the scathing, hateful portrayals during his term. And the audience ate it up. Note the warm laughter.

SNL portraying Trump as warm, endearing and funny? (And reinforcing the fact that he was on the scene of an American disaster while Biden was “on spring break” in Ukraine.) Is this a one-off miracle or a signal of a shift in cultural attitude toward Trump?

Fresh Refills on Earlier Brew Stories

Contrary to Politico Story, Jill Biden All But Says Joe is Running

Last week we mentioned Politico’s report that Joe Biden’s hesitancy to announce he’s running for re-election has staff, the party and potential other candidates scrambling. There’s even talk that Joe’s having second thoughts.

Perish the thought, says Jill Biden … er, Dr. Jill Biden. Dr. Jill was adamant while in Africa that Joe’s running. “How many times does he have to say it before you believe it?” Biden told the Associated Press while in Nairobi, Kenya. “He says he’s not done. He has to finish what he started.” (Nairobi is 7681 miles from East Palestine, for those keeping track at home.)

Former ‘Trans Kid’ Turned Detransition Activist Chloe Cole Sues Kaiser

Chloe Cole has formally sued Kaiser Permanente for medical negligence for quickly coercing her onto the path of chemicals and surgery to “change” her sex when she was a minor.

“Chloe’s family sought medical treatment for her at Kaiser,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, Chloe’s attorney and Center for American Liberty CEO. “Her physicians and other medical professionals violated the first norm of the profession, the Hippocratic Oath, when, instead of caring for her and providing medically competent diagnoses and treatment, they permanently disfigured her for profit.”

Chloe also says her doctors wanted little to do with her when it came to side effects of the drugs and breast removal, especially once she realized her mistake and decided to detransition.

We Were Only Joking

On Friday, we joked about Project Veritas sending a video to donors begging “Please, Please, Please, don’t go” after some 300,000 donors left after the suspension of James O’Keefe. Special appearance by James Brown.

Later Friday, Project Veritas did exactly that. Sending out a video to donors, pleading with them not to bail on PV while they try to work things out with the organization’s founder and face and guiding force.

What’s the definition of satire in 2023? “A humorous invention that’s 15 minutes from coming true.”

 

Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, chief barista for The Brew and co-author, with John Zmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl at GETTR, Gab, Parler, and now at TRUTH Social.