Category: BG-TN

Trump Weighs in on Minnesota Pledge Controversy: ‘I Will Be Fighting With You’

Anthony Gockowski

  President Donald Trump has weighed in on the ongoing controversy in St. Louis Park, where the City Council voted unanimously to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings. “Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you!” Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday. Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you! @foxandfriends — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2019 The issue was brought to the president’s attention after Fox & Friends ran a number of segments highlighting the topic. On Tuesday, the morning news show played clips of Monday night’s City Council meeting, which attracted nearly 100 protesters in support of the pledge. “Well, the folks came out because they said it only takes 15 seconds and it means a lot to us. This is America,” host Pete Hegseth, a Minnesota native, said on Tuesday’s show. Imagine getting this worked up over the Pledge of Allegiance pic.twitter.com/wvPrMSQN60 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)…

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Watchdog Groups Question Ohio Company’s Donation to Trump’s Fireworks Display

Anthony Gockowski

  Phantom Fireworks, an Ohio-based company, is facing scrutiny from so-called “non-partisan watchdog” groups after the company donated $750,000 worth of fireworks to President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America.” The company’s CEO, Bruce Zoldan, was invited to an Oval Office meeting in May to discuss the impact of tariffs with fellow business leaders. Zoldan and his colleagues have been clear that a 25 percent import tax on Chinese goods would be “devastating” for the fireworks industry. “It would be pretty devastating,” Phantom Fireworks Vice President Bill Weimer recently told ABC News. “The problem is there’s no alternative source for us to get the fireworks. We have to stay with China.” So some were turning their heads when Trump announced on July 2 that Phantom Fireworks and Fireworks by Grucci were donating supplies for the Independence Day celebration. “Thanks to Phantom Fireworks and Fireworks by Grucci for their generosity in donating the biggest fireworks show Washington D.C. has ever seen. CEOs Bruce Zoldan and Phil Grucci are helping to make this the greatest 4th of July celebration in our nation’s history,” Trump wrote on Twitter. Thanks to “Phantom Fireworks” and “Fireworks by Grucci" for their generosity in donating the biggest fireworks…

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New Trump Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Bruised After Brawl with North Korean Guards to Ensure Press Access to Kim Jong Un Meeting

Jason M. Reynolds

  President Donald Trump’s historic meeting with dictator Kim Jong Un, while reportedly cordial, did have some tension: North Korean guards tried to bar U.S. reporters’ way, but new press secretary Stephanie Grisham saved the day. The Guardian reported that Grisham ended up bruised in a scuffle with the guards. The jostling seen outside when Kim and Trump met worsened when North Korean guards tried to physically prevent reporters with the US press pool from entering a room inside the Freedom House on the southern side of the DMZ where the two leaders were about to start their meeting. Reports said the Secret Service had to intervene. Political commentator Edward Hardy tweeted a video of the confrontation: “This is the moment White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham got into a scuffle with North Korean security guards who were blocking US journalists”. This is the moment White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham got into a scuffle with North Korean security guards who were blocking US journalists pic.twitter.com/WSBkdDw17g — Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) June 30, 2019 Sky News tweeted, “President Trump’s press secretary Stephanie Grisham ended up with bruises after being shoved by Kim Jong Un’s security guards. Donald Trump has become the first…

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Public Policy Group Calls for Ban on Sale of All U.S. Equipment to Huawei, Which is Accused of Having Ties to People’s Liberation Army, Chinese Communist Party

Jason M. Reynolds

  In the wake of President Donald Trump’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping in Osaka, Japan Saturday, the Committee on the Present Danger: China (CPDC) called for a halt to the sale of all U.S. equipment to the Huawei communications company. Trump announced that “U.S. companies can sell their equipment to Huawei. I’m talking about equipment where there is no great national emergency problem with it,” CPDC said in a press release. The Committee on the Present Danger: China said it believes that all provision of products and services and licensing of technology to Huawei undermine the security of the United States, its allies, and partners. CPDC said it agrees with the findings of Trump’s executive order of May 15, 2019 titled “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain.” This order addressed the threat posed by “foreign adversaries.” Huawei, a state-owned enterprise with known ties to the People’s Liberation Army, is such an adversary, the committee said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May accused the head of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies of lying about his company’s relationship with the government in Beijing, Battleground State News said. Huawei, the world’s largest maker of telecommunications network equipment, is…

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Cincinnati Church Celebrates Pride Month with Drag Queen Story Hour During Sunday Worship

Beth Lear

  A Cincinnati church celebrated LGBT Pride month by hosting one of their own, caretaker Dan Davidson, dressed in drag. Davidson, called Sparkle Leigh in costume, greeted church attendees and read to the children during the service. His story of choice? Pride: the Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag. Milk was the first openly homosexual politician elected in California and has often been referred to as a pedophile. The pastor of Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, Reverend Stacey Midge, couldn’t offer comment to The Ohio Star without permission of her church board, but she was willing to share that the church has received both positive and negative feedback. Midge was able to speak more freely on the church Facebook page about their choice to host the performer. “We are particularly outspoken about our welcome to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions because 1) we do not believe variations in sexual orientation or gender identity/expression to be sinful, and 2) people of non-heterosexual orientation or whose gender identity or expression does not fit into a rigid binary are historically and currently marginalized, especially by the Church.” “The idea of reading a child’s book about Harvey Milk is the…

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Ellison Passes Over Klobuchar, Endorses Sanders for President

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has endorsed (again) Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont for president, straying from a pack of Minnesota politicians who are supporting hometown candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the race. “Kamala, Julien [sic] and Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But Bernie Sanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him—like I did last time,” Ellison wrote on Twitter early Friday morning after the second night of Democratic debates. Kamala, Julien & Pete all did very well. Elizabeth showed why she is a true leader; champion of working families everywhere. But @BernieSanders dominated both nights with the force of ideas, which have been consistent throughout his service. I support him – like I did last time. — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) June 28, 2019 Ellison was one of the first members of Congress to support Sanders’ 2016 bid for the presidency. Sanders, in turn, supported Ellison in his run for DNC chair in 2017, and his 2018 campaign for his current role as Minnesota’s attorney general. Ellison told The Star Tribune that his endorsement of…

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Tennessee Star Report on New Poll: Briley Crushes Swain in Potential Nashville Mayoral Runoff, But is Easily Defeated by Cooper

Julie Carr

  During a discussion Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy explained the recent Tennessee Star/ Triton poll of the upcoming August 1 Mayoral election in Nashville, Tennessee. Here are the raw numbers from the poll: David Briley 27.8 percent Carol Swain 22 percent John Cooper 19.8 percent John Ray Clemmons  10.8 percent Undecided 19.5 percent If no candidate receives above 50 percent of the vote on August 1, a runoff of the top two vote getters will be held. In a potential runoff between Briley and Swain, Briley wins easily, 50 percent to 31 percent. In a potential runoff between Briley and Cooper, Cooper wins 42 percent to 31 percent. Here’s the transcript of the discussion.   Gill: And as Michael’s been mentioning we have a new Tennessee Star Triton poll of likely Davidson county voters. Five hundred and forty-five likely Davidson county voters surveyed in the poll. And the poll shows continued reelection problems for Mayor David Briley. We did a poll a couple of months ago that showed David Briley was under water when it…

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Wayfair Workers Protest at Company’s Headquarters Over Selling Furniture to Immigrant Detention Centers

Zachery Schmidt

  Wayfair employees and their supporters gathered to protest outside the company’s Boston headquarters Wednesday after learning the online retailer sold bedroom furniture to detention centers housing migrant children. According to NBC News, people protesting shouted “this is what democracy looks like” and “Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, ICE contracts have got to go.” It was awesome to see the turnout today. Thank you to everyone who showed up to the #WayfairWalkout pic.twitter.com/x4oUttSv9i — wayfairwalkout (@wayfairwalkout) June 26, 2019 pic.twitter.com/ojaRQmDtPC — wayfairwalkout (@wayfairwalkout) June 26, 2019 The protests started after employees found out that Wayfair had fulfilled a $200,000 order to BCFS, a non-profit government contractor that manages the camps’ migrants are currently staying in. The facility receiving the order currently houses 3,000 migrant children, according to a letter sent last Friday to the company’s leadership team and signed by more than 500 workers. Receipts (for those who asked): Follow @wayfairwalkout Support #Lights4Liberty Donate to #RAICESTEXAS#CloseTheCamps pic.twitter.com/hKBKHIaRck — Asian Raisin 🍇 (@guiltyx) June 25, 2019 “We believe that by selling these (or any) products to BCFS or similar contractors we are enabling this violation and are complicit in furthering the inhumane actions of our government,” the letter states. The Wayfair leadership team responded…

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Supreme Court Strikes Down Tennessee Liquor Law

Zachery Schmidt

  The Supreme Court ruled against a Tennessee law that requires people to live in the state for two years before acquiring a retail license to sell alcohol. The court’s 7-2 decision ruled that Tennessee’s law had violated the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which gives Congress the power “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States.” “Because Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for retail license applicants blatantly favors the state residents and has little relationship to public health and safety, it is unconstitutional,” conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. The case (Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Assn. V. Russell F. Thomas, Executive Director of Tennessee Alchohol Beverage Commission, Et Al.) gave the Supreme Court a chance to define the 21st Amendment’s scope, which allows states to regulate alcohol sales within state lines. Previously, the court ruled against Michigan and New York laws prohibiting out-of-state based wine companies from shipping wine within their states. In the Granholm v. Heald case, a 5-4 decision decided these state laws also violated the Commerce Clause. “While this requirement is less extreme than the others that the Sixth Circuit found to be unconstitutional, we now hold that it also violates the Commerce Clause…

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New York Times Isn’t Forthright About Population Growth of St. Cloud, Local Paper Responds by Calling Own Readers ‘Cowards’

Anthony Gockowski

  The New York Times recently sent one of its east-coast reporters to St. Cloud, Minnesota to report on the frustration some residents have with the influx of refugees settling there. The article begins by noting that a “few thousand” refugees “moved into this small city.” But a few paragraphs later The Times writes: St. Cloud, the state’s 10th largest city, increased in population by 33 percent over the last 30 years, to roughly 70,000 people. The share of nonwhite residents grew to 18 percent from 2 percent, mostly with East African immigrants from Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and the numbers of Somalis are estimated to grow. According to the City of St. Cloud, the estimated 2019 population is 67,924, so a population of 18 percent East African immigrants would be 12,226. A jump from 2 percent of the population to 18 percent would be an increase in 10,868. The actual number of refugees is likely a bit lower, but not as low as the “few thousand” reported by The Times. According to U.S. Census estimates, the number of foreign-born residents as of 2017 was 6,865. Additionally, between 2000 and 2012, the population of the City of St. Cloud grew…

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We Build the Wall Online ‘Wall-A-Thon’ Raises $460K and Counting

Jason M. Reynolds

  Today is the final day to view the “Wall-A-Thon” held at the border by We Build the Wall. The broadcast feed is available here. “LIVE: Broadcast from our new border security wall funded by donors! Broadcasting daily June 24th – 26th! Bookmark this page! We’re excited to update you LIVE from the People’s Wall!” the group’s website says. “You are welcome to call in and speak with our team, including Brian Kolfage, Steve Bannon, Sheriff David Clarke, Congressman Tom Tancredo, Angel parents Mary Ann Mendoza and Steve Ronnebeck, PLUS MANY MORE! It will be an exciting and informative THREE day live event and we can’t wait to share it with you!” As of Tuesday evening, the “Wall-A-Thon” had raised $460,000. The link above provides a way to make a donation. A $100 donation will get your name on a brick. For $1,000 you get a bollard. For $5,000 you get a large bollard. The “Wall-A-Thon” began Monday with We Build the Wall’s Brian Kolfage and Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, KTSM reported. Kolfage told the TV station there are other projects in various stages of work. “We’re just taking it literally one at a time but right…

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Reporter Calls Star Tribune ‘Frauds,’ Says They Owe Minnesotans Apology for Omar Coverage

Anthony Gockowski

  Few reporters have done more to expose Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) than David Steinberg, with the possible exceptions of Preya Samsundar formerly of Alpha News and Scott Johnson of Power Line. The three of them together did most of the grunt work in uncovering Omar’s marriage controversy. Samsundar was reporting on the topic as early as August of 2016, when Omar was running for the Minnesota House. But according to The Star Tribune, they’re just “conservative activists” who can’t even be trusted with a screenshot. ‘Covering their tracks’  In a June 22 article, The Star Tribune took a look at the allegation in question: whether Omar “once married a man – possibly her own brother – to skirt immigration laws.” But much of the information in that article was reported by Steinberg in a series of articles he wrote for PJ Media between August and November of 2018. “The Star Tribune ran a dishonest, cowardly piece of journalism tonight,” Steinberg said in response. “For 3 years, the paper ignored the work of reporters Preya Samsundar, Scott Johnson, and myself on Ilhan Omar’s disturbing past. Ignored our emails offering new evidence. Now, Ilhan Omar is a national disgrace. Globally, anti-Semites…

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Constituents of Minnesota’s U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar Reportedly Being Polled About Potential Challengers for 2020

Jason M. Reynolds

  Someone in the Democratic Party may be considering a test drive of a new candidate to challenge controversial first-term U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) (pictured, center). Residents in Omar’s district reportedly are being polled on support for alternative candidates for the 2020 elections. Minnesota political activist Tane Danger tweeted, “Just got a polling robo-call asking if I would be supporting @IlhanMN or “potential candidate” Andrea Jenkins (@annapoetic) for Congress in 2020 (pictured, right). It was clearly testing out some negative messaging against Rep. Omar. Who is paying for this polling and why? #MN05”. Just got a polling robo-call asking if I would be supporting @IlhanMN or “potential candidate” Andrea Jenkins (@annapoetic) for Congress in 2020. It was clearly testing out some negative messaging against Rep. Omar. Who is paying for this polling and why? #MN05 pic.twitter.com/QXgWKlFX4R — Tane Danger (@TaneDanger) June 21, 2019 Danger is co-founder of The Theater of Public Policy, which describes itself as a merger of nonprofit work and improv comedy to tackle “big ideas.” Jenkins, a Minneapolis poet and artist, has been rumored as a potential challenger since February, The Minnesota Sun reported. Jenkins, who is also Minneapolis City Council Vice President, is best known…

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Early Ohio Endorsements for Donald J. Trump for President in 2020

Beth Lear

  Just ahead of President Trump’s official campaign kickoff Tuesday, the conservative group Ohio Value Voters (OVV) announced their full-throated endorsement of the unconventional incumbent.   “President Trump’s social conservative agenda has galvanized the support of faith-based and conservative Ohioans,” OVV President John Stover said in a statement; adding that the reasons for the early endorsement was based on a list accomplishments that support the conservatives’ agenda including: 2 Constitutional Supreme Court Justices: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh 188 nominees to the federal court who support the rights of the unborn and the first amendment moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem defending the unborn reinstating and expanding the “Mexico City Policy” which prohibits US foreign aid to be used for abortion overturning the Obama regulation that prohibited States from defunding abortion service providers signing the bill to allow States to restrict funds to Planned Parenthood eliminating the US Department of Education’s transgender policy, which allowed students to play on sports teams and use the locker rooms and bathrooms of the sex they chose rather than the sex they were born President Trump is set to announce the official start of his 2020 campaign at an evening rally in Orlando, Florida Tuesday –…

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We Build the Wall Declares End to Standoff With Government Bureaucracy, Which Locks Gate at Private Border Wall

Jason M. Reynolds

  The private builders of a border wall in New Mexico say their standoff has ended with a government bureaucracy to secure a gate and keep criminals out of the border. We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage on Tuesday night posted the last of several updates by press release. He said: The IBWC has decided to close and lock the Border Wall gate we built tonight and every night going forward! They will only be opening the gate at intermittent times during the day as necessary going forward. Further calls to the IBWC are no longer necessary and WeBuildTheWall looks forward to working with them as we continue to secure other segments of the border that they operate on. “Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects!” Kolfage also tweeted. That news was a turnaround from Tuesday morning, when Kolfage announced in a press release that, “yesterday our wall and our nation came under attack by a globalist bureaucracy called the IBWC (International Boundary and Waterway Commission). This group which is half…

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Cleveland Agrees to $225,000 Settlement With Communist Who Believes ‘America Was Never Great’

Anthony Gockowski

  Cleveland has agreed to pay $225,000 in a settlement with a second protester who was arrested outside of the 2016 Republican National Convention for burning the American flag. As The Ohio Star reported in April, the city agreed to a $50,000 settlement with Steven Fridley, who was also arrested for partaking in the protest. This time the money is going to Gregory “Joey” Johnson, the same Gregory Johnson who was the defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1989 Texas v. Johnson decision. That case found that burning the American flag was protected by the First Amendment. Johnson and Fridley both had their criminal charges dismissed by the Cleveland Municipal Court, and sued the City of Cleveland for violating their First Amendment rights. “Instead of protecting RNC protesters’ constitutional rights, Cleveland police stalked them, literally extinguished their speech rights, and then arrested and prosecuted them—violating 30-year-old Supreme Court precedent taught to schoolchildren,” said Subodh Chandra of Chandra Law Firm, which represented both Johnson and Fridley. Chandra criticized city leaders for failing to “hold officers accountable for lying” about Johnson, whom police officers claimed was on fire and setting others on fire during the protest. Video of the incident, however, contradicts…

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Legal Expert Says Oberlin College’s Response to Verdict Could Hurt Them in Punitive Damages Hearing

Anthony Gockowski

  Oberlin College was ordered by a jury last week to pay $11 million in damages to a family bakery on campus that was falsely accused of racial profiling, but the monetary reward could triple during a punitive damages hearing scheduled for Tuesday. As The Ohio Star reported Sunday: The bakery, called Gibson’s Bakery, has operated on campus since 1885 and had a business relationship with the school until November 2017, when the bakery sued the school for numerous offenses, including libel, slander, and interference with business relationships. The conflict started in November 2016, the day after President Donald Trump’s election, after a black male student was stopped for shoplifting. He and two of his female peers eventually pleaded guilty to shoplifting and aggravated trespassing, but the damage to Gibson’s Bakery was already done. Students accused the business of racial profiling, organized protests outside of its storefront, and distributed flyers on campus that accused the bakery of having “a long account of racial profiling and discrimination.” On Friday, an Ohio jury ordered the college to pay $11 million in damages to the bakery for siding with the student protesters. In response to verdict, Oberlin College Vice President and General Counsel…

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Oberlin College Ordered to Pay $11 Million to Bakery it Wrongly Accused of Racism

Anthony Gockowski

  A jury has ordered Oberlin College to pay $11 million in damages to a family bakery on its campus that was falsely accused of racial profiling and faced months of student protests. The bakery, called Gibson’s Bakery, has operated on campus since 1885 and had a business relationship with the school until November 2017, when the bakery sued the school for numerous offenses, including libel, slander, and interference with business relationships. The conflict started in November 2016, the day after President Donald Trump’s election, after a black male student was stopped for shoplifting. He and two of his female peers eventually pleaded guilty to shoplifting and aggravated trespassing, but the damage to Gibson’s Bakery was already done. Students accused the business of racial profiling, organized protests outside of its storefront, and distributed flyers on campus that accused the bakery of having “a long account of racial profiling and discrimination.” On Friday, an Ohio jury ordered the college to pay $11 million in damages to the bakery for siding with the student protesters. “The verdict sends a strong message that colleges and universities cannot simply wind up and let loose student social justice warriors and then wash their hands of…

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Businessman Who Owns Private Border Wall Property Disputes ACLU Claim That Wall Blocks Access to Historic Border Monument

Jason M. Reynolds

  The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is trying to claim that the construction of the private border wall blocks access to a “historical monument.” The ACLU of New Mexico says the Sunland Park, New Mexico private wall blocks access to Monument One, a border monument dating to 1855 that’s on the National Register of Historic Places, according to a story by KOAT. The ACLU is calling on the International Boundary and Water Commission, who manages the monument’s land, to intervene. The border wall is on private land, but it was built across from Monument One, which is on federal land but accessed from a road and a gate. The commission told KOAT that it has not given We Build the Wall a permit but their application is being reviewed. However, Brian Kolfage, founder of We Build the Wall, says the ACLU is lying and that it is trying to help the drug cartels that are being blocked by the new wall. Kolfage tweeted, “The ACLU is acting like this alleged monument is Yellowstone Natl. Park. The only people coming here are drug smugglers, it’s a dangerous area. Stop LYING TO Americans @ACLU it’s on private property too! Here’s…

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Republican Star John James Announces Senate Run on D-Day

Anthony Gockowski

  Veteran John James, one of Michigan’s rising Republicans stars, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate Thursday morning, the 75th anniversary of D-Day. “I would like to announce that I am running for U.S. Senate after careful deliberation and thoughtful prayer,” James said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” “I believe that the time, again, is to serve,” James continued. “I understand what we need to do because I have experience as a business leader, as a job creator—how to protect our economy from socialism, how to bring people together and unite people to make sure that we can defeat the evils that face us today.” James, who lost to incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in 2018 by seven points, will challenge first-term Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in 2020. “I’m focused on continuing to deliver results for Michigan,” Peters said in a statement provided to Fox News. “I’ll keep working with anyone to improve life for Michiganders, whether it’s to expand training programs so everyone has the skills needed to find good-paying jobs, protect our Great Lakes or lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs.” President Donald Trump endorsed James during his 2018 bid and called…

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No Protesters at Ohio’s Drag 101 Event Despite Library’s Claim it Received ‘Threats’

Beth Lear

  Dozens of supporters stood outside Secret Identity Comics in Delaware, Ohio Wednesday to welcome the controversial “Drag 101″ class, which was canceled by the Delaware County Library. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 5 at the Delaware County Library’s Orange Branch, the class was moved to Secret Identity Comics and funded by an anonymous donor. It took place on the same day and time as originally planned. Kyle Gale, who performs on-stage as “Selena T. West,” appeared in full costume as he was greeted by dozens of supporters. There were no signs of protesters, despite the fact that the library canceled the event on the grounds that it had received “threats.” There was a significant law enforcement presence nearby, and several Delaware City Police cars were seen at Frank B. Willis Intermediate School, less than a block from the event. Additional officers rode by the crowd multiple times on bicycles. Delaware City Police Sergeant Adam Willauer told The Ohio Star there was no trouble or protesters present. “No one has filed any reports about threats,” he said. “We were there because whenever a large crowd is expected, we want to be present for safety.” Speaking on camera with WCMH reporters, Gayle responded to…

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Seventy-Five Years Later: D-Day Remembered by Those Who Were There

Zachery Schmidt
D day

  Seventy-five years ago today, the United States joined with Great Britain, the free French forces, and Canada to mount a bold invasion of the beachhead in Normandy, France as a last-ditch effort to gain a foothold in Europe against the conquering forces of Hitler’s Germany. To commemorate this significant event, President Donald Trump read the prayer President Franklin Delano Roosevelt read over the radio while the troops stormed the Normandy beaches during his Great Britain visit Wednesday. Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. They will need Thy blessings, for the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. But we shall return again and again. And we know that by thy grace and the righteous of our cause our sons will triumph. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Thy will be done Almighty God Amen The…

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Minneapolis Temporarily Cancels City Staff Segregated Race Talks

Zachery Schmidt

  Minneapolis city officials have temporarily canceled segregated race-relations talks with city employees, and all fliers promoting the event around Minneapolis City Hall have been pulled down, according to the Star Tribune. “Sacred Conversations with City Staff” was scheduled to take place in May, June and July. The first discussion was supposed to take place on May 30 but was postponed. These conversations centered around the 400-year anniversary of African slaves coming to Jamestown, Virginia. “It came to my attention … that sessions had been promoted publicly in a way the city does not condone, as we cannot nor will we divide people based on race, ethnicity or any other protected class,” City Coordinator Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde (pictured above) wrote in a statement to the Star Tribune. As the Minnesota Sun reported, these talks planned to segregate city staff into “black-bodied” and “white-bodied” staff to have a discussion about “how they relate to the enslavement, resistance and continual push for liberation for African American people.” The talks were meant to allow city employees to reflect on “what they are learning related to their role in the City.” Each month of these talks had a specific topic planned for these race discussions.…

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Buckeye Institute Argues for a New Bill That Could Help Ohioans with Their Debt

Zachery Schmidt

  Buckeye Institute research fellow Greg Lawson appeared in front of the Ohio House Financial Institutions Committee Tuesday to support a proposed bill that could help Ohioans be able to resolve their unresolved debt easier. “Ohio’s arbitrary fee caps and poorly tailored law makes it harder for some debt settlement firms to operate here; which, in turn, makes it harder for many of your constituents to reduce and settle their outstanding debts,” Lawson said Tuesday to the Committee about House Bill 131. Lawson thinks the bill’s policies will help clarify the legal rules for debt settlement companies, which will help Ohioans to manage their debt. The research fellow noted people in Ohio have an average of $5,583 in credit card debt more than 10 percent of the median household income. He described the difficulties this debt can have on people in an Akron Beacon Journal op-ed: “Ohioans already suffer under the burdens of regulation and occupational licensing restrictions. Those burdens limit job opportunities, impede career advancement, and can even add to the debts that debt settlement firms help to resolve. Reducing, restructuring and retiring old debts are hard enough for most people. Renaming debt settlement services as the “unauthorized practice…

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Democrats Call Ohio Speakers’ Opposition to ‘Drag 101’ Classes for Children ‘Unfortunate’

Beth Lear

  Eight Democrats in the Ohio House of Representatives signed a joint statement Saturday calling their Speaker’s opposition to LGBTQ-centric events designed for children to be held in area public libraries “unfortunate.” “As we enter the month of PRIDE, Ohio celebrates its diversity in culture and speech – that is why the recent comments from our House Speaker are unfortunate,” the joint statement begins. It continues: It now appears another Library system is shutting down its PRIDE programming because of the furor this statement created. Let’s be clear—the promise of America is not that we all agree on everything—but that we all agree to let everyone have their voice. That is certainly true for the nearly 500,000 LGBTQ Ohioans. At a time when the national political discourse has reached new lows—let us in Ohio embrace our diversity so that all can flourish. The Democrats’ statement was in in response to an open letter, addressed to the Ohio Library Council and signed by Rep. Larry Householder (R-Glenford) as Speaker of the Ohio House. He wrote, in part, “When I was first informed our public libraries were being used to teach teen age boys how to become drag queens, I thought it was a…

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Court Orders Portion of Line 3 Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement to Return to Minnesota Public Utility Commission for Reconsideration

Jason M. Reynolds

  The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday overturned a portion of the environmental impact study of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project. The court’s ruling is available here. The ruling says: Although we reject most of realtors’ assertions of error, we agree that the FEIS is inadequate because it does not address the potential impact of an oil spill into the Lake Superior watershed. Accordingly, we reverse the commission’s adequacy determination and remand for further proceedings consistent with this decision. FEIS refers to the final Environmental Impact Statement. Enbridge in April 2015 applied for a certificate of need and routing permit to install of 337 miles of pipe and facilities from the North Dakota-Minnesota border to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border to replace the already existing Line 3, part of Enbridge’s Mainline System, the court said. Environmental organizations and tribal bands had challenged a decision made last year by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission  (PUC) which found the FEIS was adequate, the court said. However, the court also upheld most of the environmental impact statement and dismissed most of the opponents’ arguments, Minnesota Public Radio said. The rejected arguments included claims that the study didn’t take into account the…

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Minnesota Gov. Walz Says Republicans and Business Leaders Will Beg Him for a Gas Tax Next Year

Jason M. Reynolds

  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he expects businesses and Republican legislators to suggest a gas tax to him next year. The governor, a member of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, made the remarks Friday during an interview with Mary Lahammer on Twin Cities Public TV. The Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus provided a video clip here. Hard pass. Again. ✋ pic.twitter.com/SU0QHuNGR2 — Minnesota Senate Republicans (@mnsrc) June 1, 2019 Walz said, ”I fully expect that the business community and Republicans legislators will suggest it to me.” The full interview is available here. (The gas tax discussion starts around 12 minutes and 6 seconds.) He said his proposal is not ideological but about needs. “That’s what the engineers tell us we need,” he said. It was obvious to him during negotiations that “Republicans weren’t going to do a single penny,” he said. When asked if he would revisit the tax next year, Walz made the remark about  opponents coming to him. The reaction was overwhelmingly skeptical on the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus’ Facebook video post here. In February, Center of the American Experiment criticized Walz’ planned tax hike of 20 cents per gallon of gas. So, even with a projected budget surplus…

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HB 200 Restores Work Requirement to Ohio’s Able-Bodied Food Stamp Recipients

Beth Lear

  In 1996 the United States Congress passed welfare reform, which added work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving food stamps, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Under President Obama in his 2009 stimulus bill, a waiver was created that allows states and local governments to opt out of those work, training and volunteer requirements. State Representative Scott Wiggam (R-Wooster) has introduced House Bill 200 to restore the dignity of work in Ohio.  According the analysis of the bill, “SNAP recipients must meet work-related eligibility requirements to remain (in) the program.”  The requirements for all non-disabled individuals between the ages of 16 and 59, include the following: accepting a job offer registering for work not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing hours worked participating in a state-offered SNAP employment and training program Additional requirements are in place for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) to obtain benefits with HB 200.  “Individuals between the ages of 18 and 49 who have no dependents and are not disabled…can only receive SNAP benefits for up to three months every three years,” the analysis states.  The only exceptions are if: the ABAWD is working at least 20 hours per week the ABAWD is participating…

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Heartbeat Bill Victory Party for Ohio

Beth Lear

  NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio – Janet Folger Porter hosted a raucous victory party for the Heartbeat Bill on Friday, May 31st.  After more than eight long years, obstructionism by some ‘Republicans’ and many heartbreakingly close calls, the Heartbeat Bill, Senate Bill 23, became law on April 11, 2019. Janet Porter began pushing for the law, which prohibits abortions once a baby’s heartbeat can be detected, in Ohio in 2010. The first bill was introduced in 2011.  Since then, 9 states have adopted some version of the bill: Arkansas (2013), North Dakota (2013), Iowa (2018), Mississippi (2019), Kentucky (2019), Ohio (2019), Georgia (2019), Missouri (2019) and Louisiana (2019). Through her organization, Faith2Action, Janet motivated a nation to respect life once again.  A tireless juggernaut for the unborn, the adjectives describing Porter never stopped.  Relentless, courageous, fearless were just a few of them. But she made it clear this night was not about her.  Friday’s victory party was all about the heroes behind the Heartbeat Bill, and there were dozens. Awards were handed out to interns, key players behind the scenes, an intern’s mother (who dropped everything to drive a State Representative to the House because just one more vote was needed),…

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Joe Biden Skips California’s Democratic Convention to Stump in Ohio at Human Rights Campaign’s Columbus Dinner

Jason M. Reynolds

  Joe Biden is rolling the dice and striking out on his own on the campaign trail, keeping his distance from the other Democratic presidential candidates. Biden appeared at the Human Rights Campaign’s Columbus Dinner Saturday, Cleveland.com said. The gala was at Ohio State University’s Archie Griffin Ballroom. The HRC is the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization. In visiting Ohio Saturday, the former vice president, who is the front-runner in his party’s primary race, showed he is not afraid of missing out by not attending the same events as his plethora of competitors, WGME said. Instead, he is focusing on a November 2020 competition against President Donald Trump, as if his primary challengers are not an issue. Also, Biden plans to avoid an Iowa state party dinner that will draw rivals next weekend, although he will visit Iowa two days later, WGME said. And, he will miss a South Carolina economic forum on the black community, although he will attend the state party convention the next weekend. Fourteen of the 23 other Democratic presidential hopefuls attended the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco that Biden skipped. The stakes are big as California has 400 delegates for the national convention up…

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On Trump’s Newest Tariff, Minnesota’s Rep. Angie Craig Tweets, ‘Where Is the Adult in the Room Who Knows What the H*** They’re Doing on Trade?’

Zachery Schmidt

  Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-2) sent a tweetstorm Friday night talking about President Trump’s new threatened tariffs on Mexico. “Where is the adult in the room who knows what the hell they’re doing on trade?” Craig continued by saying small businesses and farmers will be the ones affected by the “President’s reckless trade wars.” Where is the adult in the room who knows what the hell they're doing on trade? https://t.co/aHTkWG3YVi — Angie Craig (@AngieCraigMN) May 31, 2019 “Our small businesses and farmers pay the price for this President’s reckless trade wars – not China, not Mexico – our communities pay,” Craig tweeted. In her next two tweets, she talked about her personal experience with farmers. “I watched my grandfather lose his way of life in the 1980’s farm crisis. I’ve sat with dairy farmers who wonder how their going to make it another year. This isn’t a game – this is people’s livelihoods.” “Farmers are the fabric of greater MN and deserve better than the President’s twitter trade war.” Farmers are the fabric of greater MN and deserve better than the President’s twitter trade war. — Angie Craig (@AngieCraigMN) May 31, 2019 Trump threatened on Twitter Thursday to put…

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Left-Wing Activists Target Ohio’s Kids – Delaware County First, Now Licking County

Beth Lear

  NEWARK, Ohio – What began in Delaware, Ohio as a Drag 101 class for “teens only” has morphed into “A Universe of Stories – Galaxy of Diversity – An Event for LGBTQIA Teens and Advocates” at the Licking County Library. The event description from the library webpage states, “Shine like the star that you are at this special teen after-hours program celebrating Newark’s Pride Day. The festivities include a drag queen celestial makeup tutorial, flag button and rainbow wing crafts, a safe-sex program from Equitas Health, and games just for you. The library will be closed, but we are open. *Please note: this program includes sexual content.” Rumors were swirling in Delaware County after the Drag 101 class being sponsored by the county library was “canceled” and moved to Secret Identity Comics. One of the rumors was that Licking County Library was also hosting a Drag class. That information and more was confirmed by a staff member at the host branch, West Newark (Emerson R. Miller) at 990 West Main Street. “We have a strong Pride group here (in Newark),” library staff declared. “We are working with Trisha Pound (Executive Director) of Newark Pride,” on the class. Ms. Pound…

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Ohio’s Presidential Hopeful Tim Ryan Moves to Flip on ‘Impeachment’

Zachery Schmidt

  Ohio Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) has tightened his stance on impeaching President Trump after Robert Mueller’s press conference this week. “I don’t want to impeach him. I have been around 20 years and I know what will exactly happen. It is going to be very divisive for our country. But, it looks like we have to because he’s not a king,” Ryan said in an interview with NPR on Thursday. Ryan later added he had read the Mueller Report a couple of times and found multiple occasions where President Trump obstructed justice. “We may be left with no choice at this point, but to impeach him,” the presidential candidate said. The Ohio Representative seems to have found Mueller’s press conference compelling. “I’m a lot closer today than I was yesterday,” Ryan Said; adding, “I think what Mueller said [Wednesday] basically said that he would have indicted the president, but for the fact that the law would not allow it.” During the special counsel’s press conference, he addressed the concerns about his report. He told a group of reporters not enough evidence to determine if Trump had committed a crime. Also, Mueller said that his testimony if subpoenaed to testify…

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Work Resumes on Private Border Wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico

Jason M. Reynolds

  Construction has resumed on the three-quarters of a mile private border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico, according to KOB. Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea backtracked on Thursday on his claim the wall violated city law and that it was too high. “Upon further investigation, we have determined this is under and M-2, which is industrial zoning and does allow up to 35 feet, as we understand at this moment,” Perea said of the 18-foot-high fence. Construction is expected to be completed in the next several weeks. The city claimed We Build the Wall did not have a building permit and denied city officials access to the site. We Build the Wall strongly denied both charges, Battleground State News said. The wall is being built on private land owned by American Eagle Brick Company. Perea said he and his family received death threats, KVIA said. He also confirmed work on the border barrier has resumed even though City officials “issued permits in error” prematurely for the lights and fence. We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage said it has 10 more projects ready but would not provide details about locations, KFOX 14 said. Kris Kobach, the legal counsel, said the…

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Veteran in Michigan’s Third District Poses Real Threat to Justin Amash

Anthony Gockowski

  It took just 48 hours for a fellow Republican to jump on the opportunity to run against Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI-03) after he tweeted out of the blue that President Donald Trump “has engaged in impeachable conduct.” Or at least that’s the story that our national media told. Amash, in fact, has actually had a primary opponent since April in Republican Tom Norton, whose campaign was built less in reaction to “Twitter comments,” and more so on a “careful consideration of Justin Amash’s record and ineffectiveness as a congressman,” as Norton’s campaign manager, Ivan Assenov, put it. One area where Norton believes his opponent has been particularly ineffective is in helping veterans, and Michigan’s Third Congressional District has a lot of them. “Amash’s record shows a lack of concern for veterans issues. In a district with 50,000-plus veterans and 22 a day committing suicide nationally, this is simply unacceptable,” Assenov told The Ohio Star. “Tom Norton has volunteered his time, knowledge, and experience to help Amash’s office with veterans issues after they came to Tom because their congressman turned them away. Tom was also turned away.” Norton himself is a veteran, and served in Afghanistan during his six-year career…

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Amy Klobuchar Defies Meghan McCain Request, Talks About John McCain Story on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Zachery Schmidt

  Amy Klobuchar addressed the controversial story about John McCain mentioning dictator names during President Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jimmy Kimmel Live. During her Tuesday late-night show appearance, Kimmel asked the Minnesota Senator about McCain story she told last weekend. “Now you told a story at one of these rallies this weekend that I found so interesting about the late Senator John McCain,” Kimmel said. Klobuchar said McCain was referencing parts of the speech and mentioning dictator’s speeches during the inauguration. In addition, McCain referenced these dictators because he was concerned “about what this meant with this president,” according to the presidential candidate. She would not mention what dictator names the late Senator repeated to her and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. “I think the point of the story was that John McCain was a student of history and so he knew what was coming,” Klobuchar said. “He knew these cries for isolationism, what that meant if we don’t stand with our allies, what that meant for America’s standing in the world. And that’s what he was doing. He had said things similar to this publicly as well.” As the Minnesota Sun reported earlier this week, McCain’s daughter and View co-host…

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Ohio Democrats Negative on New NAFTA Deal Known as USMCA

Jason M. Reynolds

  President Donald Trump’s Administration is expected to speed up the procedural steps necessary for a Congressional vote on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), media outlets report. Trump should issue a “statement of administrative action” soon, Reuters reported. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that was “not a positive step,” Reuters said, adding she wanted more time for lawmakers to review the agreement. The Republican National Committee has questioned why Democrats under the leadership of Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are holding up USMCA. Pelosi said Mexico must change its labor laws, while Schumer said there are “outstanding issues.” Several Ohio Democrats have posed roadblocks as well. In February, in response to Trump’s State of the Union mention of USMCA, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said: “While I continue to be supportive of renegotiating NAFTA, what I have seen so far does not do enough to protect the hardworking men and women of my district.” “For far too long, I have seen firsthand how unfair trade agreements have harmed our manufacturing industry in Ohio and across the United States. Just this week the GM plant in my district started its first round of layoffs. I join with my…

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Far-Left Group ‘Gender Justice’ Sues Minnesota to Further Loosen Abortion Restrictions

Zachery Schmidt

  As the nation sees many states make laws restricting abortion, a lawsuit in Minnesota tries to do the exact opposite. Gender Justice and the Lawyering Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of abortion rights advocates in the Ramsey County District Court where the plaintiffs are targeting laws which they deem restrictive. The lawsuit is targeting certain laws such as requiring a 24-hour waiting period and letting parents of patients under 18 known of the procedure. In addition, the lawsuit wants to eliminate the law requiring fetal remains to be cremated or buried. “Minnesota abortion laws are not only outdated, but they are harmful. Far too often they prevent people from getting the care they need when they need it,” Gender Justice Executive Director Megan J. Peterson said. Peterson went on to add that these laws serve no medical purpose and reflected “outdated, patriarchal views of women.” The lawsuit cites the 1995 Doe v. Gomez case, where the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the state’s constitution allows for abortions in Minnesota and the right to decide to have an abortion without government interference. “We know too well that women and people who can get pregnant can never be equal in society…

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Minnesota Teens Are Working Less, But Older Residents Are Working More

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota teens are working less, while older Minnesotans are working more. That’s an alarming trend, according to Center of the American Experiment economist John Phelan. Phelan notes in a recent article that the labor force participation rate for Minnesotans aged 16 to 19 fell 19.1 percentage points between 1999 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the participation rate increased by 9.6 percent among Minnesotans aged 55 to 64 between the same years. “Not all youth absolutely need jobs, so they’re very sensitive to market conditions,” Oriane Casale, assistant director of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s labor market information office told MinnPost. “Basically, if they see their friends working and they can easily find a job, then they’ll work. Otherwise, they might not even look for a job,” she added. Phelan points out that these trends are expected to continue, according to the Minnesota State Demographic Center’s predictions. They suggest that the participation rate for those aged 16 to 19 is forecast to drop by another nine percent between 2020 and 2045, but will increase for all age groups above 45. “This doesn’t just pose a problem for Minnesota by exacerbating the participation…

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Ohio’s Future Foundation Pushes Pro-Business Policies to Help All Residents Prosper

Beth Lear

  YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Former Congressman Jim Renacci and Ohio’s Future Foundation (OHFF) were hosted by the Mahoning County Republican Party Tuesday evening.  The GOP group held a social for OHFF in their meeting room in Youngstown. Rick Barron, the Mahoning County Leader, announced that, ‘Tom (Weyand – OHFF’s Outreach Director) asked me to head up OHFF in Mahoning County, and we turned two blue seats red!’  Republicans gained a State Representative and a State Senator in an area which, prior to President Trump, was overwhelmingly Democratic. Next spoke Executive Director Jeff Anthony.  Republicans, he shared, were the party most likely to support their plans of making Ohio prosperous again by changing laws that inhibit business growth.  ‘For thirty years politicians have been telling us what they will do.  We want to tell them what they need to do,’ he exclaimed. The program turned to John Fadol, their researcher, who took a ‘deep dive into policy’. He discussed House Bill 6, an energy bill to bailout the nuclear power plants, and House Bill 166, the state biennium budget. “House Bill 6 began as a placeholder bill, an empty 63 pages,” stated Fadol.  “However the bill has now been updated.” It…

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State Senator Says Cutting Tax Breaks for Small Businesses Would Be ‘a Mistake’ for Ohio

Anthony Gockowski

  State Sen. Lou Terhar (R-Cincinnati) said it would be “a mistake” for the Ohio Senate to support a decrease to the tax breaks small businesses receive in the state. “There are a range of issues with the House budget that concern us in the Senate. The first would be the cut of the small business tax, which we believe is a mistake,” Terhar said. “Once we take a position on how small businesses should be treated, we should stick with that position,” he added. Terhar said that if “you’re going to encourage small businesses” by giving them a tax cut “and then take that away,” it will make business owners wonder if they “really want to invest in Ohio.” Under the House’s version of the budget bill, Ohio’s Business Investment Income Deduction would be lowered to $100,000. As of now, small businesses don’t pay taxes on the first $250,000 of income, but that figure would drop down to $100,000 under House Bill 166. Terhar’s comments came during a recent forum on the state budget hosted by Ohio’s Future Foundation and its chairman, former Congressman Jim Renacci. “One of the concerns is we still do not have a state that’s…

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Dean Phillips Agrees With Jake Tapper That Trump Is ‘Daring’ Dems to Impeach

Anthony Gockowski

  During an appearance on CNN last week, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) said President Trump’s impromptu Rose Garden speech showed a “woeful lack of leadership.” Trump apparently left a meeting with Democratic leadership after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said he was engaging in a “cover-up,” and instead went to the Rose Garden to speak with reporters. He said he would refuse work with Democrats on legislation until they “get these phony investigations over with.” “There’s no question whatsoever that the president is making it awfully difficult for us to do our jobs, which is to provide oversight over the executive branch,” Phillips said in response. “Whatever prompted his change of heart today in the Rose Garden, I’m not sure, but if that’s all it took, that’s a woeful lack of leadership.” “Do you think President Trump is daring House Democrats to impeach him?” host Jake Tapper then asked. “I got to tell you, Jake, it’s appearing increasingly evident that he may be doing just that,” Phillips replied. “It is our job to provide oversight. I think we’ve been methodical, we’ve been principled, and we’ve been awfully patient, but that patience has its limits. We surely are reaching that limit. If…

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Tim Ryan Leads the Pack in Missed Votes, Third Most Absent Member in the House

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) has missed 70 votes since the start of the 116th Congress, putting him near the top of the pack in this category among his fellow 2020 Democratic contenders. According to a project from ProPublica, Ryan missed 31.6 percent of all votes in the House as of last week, making him the third most absent member of the House. For comparison, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15) has missed 48 votes, or 22.1 percent, while Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) has missed 18.9 percent at 41 votes skipped. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) leads the field among 2020 Democrats in the Senate. The New Jersey senator has missed 37 votes, which is 31.9 percent of all votes. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has missed 27 votes, or 23.3 percent of all votes in the Senate. ProPublica points out that Ryan has cast zero votes against party lines during this Congress. Out of the 433 members of Congress, Ryan ranks at 373 in bipartisanship. “It’s no secret that Ryan has long been angling to leave his constituents behind with musings for higher office,” Mandi Merritt, Ohio spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, told The Ohio Star.…

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Experts Debate Impact of Sports Wagering Proposal on Ohio

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by Todd DeFeo   Legalizing sports wagering in Ohio could generate $7 million in tax revenue for the state in the first year, a number that could increase to $9 million in the second year. That is on top of $1.3 million in license fees in the first year of operations, and between $300,000 and $500,000 in license fees in subsequent years, according to an estimate from the Legislative Budget Office. House Bill 194 would grant the Ohio Lottery Commission the authority to allow sports gaming in Ohio and effectively bring into the open an existing industry. The move has attracted some of the biggest names in the industry – including Penn National Gaming and MGM Resorts International – to push legislators to proceed with the initiative. “Illegal sports wagering has continued to flourish across all mediums – in person, over the Internet, and most recently through sophisticated mobile applications,” Ayesha Molino, senior vice president of federal government affairs for MGM Resorts International, said in testimony to the House Finance Committee. “Ohio residents currently have convenient access to illegal, unregulated mobile sports wagering sites,” Molino said. “But they lack a legal, properly regulated alternative. And restricting a legal mobile market will not compel people…

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Minnesota’s Presidential Hopeful Klobuchar Campaign Called 3 Percent Polling Number ‘Huge News’ in Fundraising Pitch

Anthony Gockowski

  Sen. Amy Klobuchar jumped from one percent to three percent between April and May in Monmouth University’s monthly polling, which her campaign called “huge news.” “There’s huge news in a new Monmouth poll. As more people learn more about Amy, her bold plans for our country, and how she’ll address the problems Americans face, they’re putting their support behind her,” a recent fundraising email from Klobuchar’s campaign said. “Polls go up and down, but this new Monmouth data confirms what we’re seeing on the ground: big crowds, great enthusiasm, and a surge of grassroots donations from Americans who want Amy to be our next president,” the email added. The poll, conducted by Monmouth University’s Polling Institute between May 16 and May 20, had Klobuchar polling at three percent overall. The poll, however, did show significant gains for female candidates, who received a combined 27 percent of support among Democratic voters, up from the 16 percent they received in April. “Women are commanding a larger slice of Democratic support than they were a few weeks ago and we are seeing bumps in their individual voter ratings,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “We can’t parse out…

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Anti-Smoking Groups Actually Testified Against Ohio Gov. DeWine’s Proposal to Raise Minimum Age to 21

Anthony Gockowski

  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has called for raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, a proposal that’s included in Ohio’s biennial budget bill. But anti-smoking groups in the state have actually testified against the proposal. These groups believe that the proposal would mostly punish youth for underage sales but would do little to punish retailers for illegal sales. “Those of us who work on this issue every day in venues around the country recognize this bill as unacceptable by today’s standards,” said Wendy Hyde of the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation. “Simply changing ‘18’ to ‘21’ without changing the structure of licensure and enforcement would be meaningless.” During a May 5 testimony on House Bill 166, Hyde said that “penalties for illegal sales to persons under age 21 should be placed on the retail owner who makes a profit from illegally selling harmful and deadly products rather than on the clerk or the youth.” “Penalties for repeated violations must result in meaningful fines and be followed up with license suspension for those few retailers who refuse to comply. Penalizing youth is not an an effective strategy for reducing youth smoking,” she said. She went on to…

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No Gas Tax Increase for Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

  An omnibus transportation budget bill is on its way to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk without any gas tax increase. After clearing the DFL-controlled House Friday evening, the bill passed out of the Senate later Friday night in a 54-13 vote. It’s official…no gas tax increase in Minnesota. Senate just passed transportation bill after House passed earlier. On its way to the governor. pic.twitter.com/Yk81S8lq3j — Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) May 25, 2019 The transportation bill was one of 13 bills state lawmakers passed during their marathon 21-hour special session that wrapped up Saturday morning just before 7 a.m. “This year we drove down the cost of health care, gave tax relief to the middle class, made historic investments in education, and funded roads and bridges. This is a budget that all Minnesotans can be proud of,” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) said Saturday morning. “This year we drove down the cost of healthcare, gave tax relief to the middle class, made historic investments in education, and funded roads and bridges. This is a budget that all Minnesotans can be proud of.” #mnleg pic.twitter.com/IiBzkg1Og0 — Paul Gazelka (@paulgazelka) May 25, 2019 Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson), chair of the Senate Transportation Finance…

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Rep. Jim Jordan Believes Democrats Want to Stop Trump at Any Cost

Zachery Schmidt

  Ohio Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-4) thinks Democrats will do anything to stop President Donald Trump. Jordan defended the president after Nancy Pelosi and Trump made comments about each other this week, explaining in a Friday Twitter thread how the Democrats are committed to stopping the president at any cost. “Democrats are engaged in presidential obstruction. They’re so desperate to stop the President that they won’t help the country. The President’s had enough! Can’t blame him,” Jordan tweeted. Democrats are engaged in presidential obstruction. They're so desperate to stop the President that they won't help the country. The President's had enough! Can't blame him. (1/7) — Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) May 24, 2019 The Ohio representative explained how the Democrats were trying to stop the President. “Congress has a legitimate constitutional role to conduct oversight of the executive branch. But that’s not what the Democrats are doing. They’re digging into the President’s personal life from BEFORE he was a candidate. There can only be one reason to do this: POLITICS.” Then, Jordan compared how the Republican-controlled Congress acted compared to a Democratic-controlled Congress. Compare that to what the Democrats are doing. They're going after: -The President's PERSONAL tax returns-The President's PERSONAL…

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University of Ohio State Police Officer Awarded Nation’s Highest Public Servant Award

Zachery Schmidt

  An Ohio State University policeman received a prestigious honor for his response to a 2016 shooting on the school’s campus. President Donald Trump awarded Officer Alan Horujko the Medal of Valor at a May 23 ceremony celebrating first responders. Horujko stopped a terrorist attack at Ohio State in 2016. The officer shot and killed Abdul Razak Ali Artan after he drove into a crowd and attacked people with a knife. One person died and 13 people were injured during Artan’s attack. “There was a plan that had me there that day,” Horujko told Ohio State in 2017. “It seems like the stars aligned in some way to put me right there where I was needed to protect those people. So that’s why I’m just very grateful that happened.” Trump noted Horujko during the ceremony. Also with us today is Officer Alan Horujko of the Ohio State University Police. On November 28, 2016, an ISIS-inspired terrorist sped into a crowd of students at Ohio State. I remember that. He then got out of his car and chased them with a knife. Alan ran to the scene and yelled at the man to drop his knife. The man charged toward Alan…

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Ohio Library Plans ‘Drag 101’ Program for Teenagers Featuring Former Miss Gay Ohio America

Anthony Gockowski

  An Ohio library plans to host a “drag 101” program for teenagers to explore the “art of drag” and meet with former Miss Gay Ohio America Selena T. West. “Curious about the art of drag and no idea where to start? Come learn the basics with former Miss Gay Ohio America and local queen, Selena T. West. We will learn about the application of makeup and creating characters, as well as the history of drag,” an online description for the event states. “All genders welcome. Teens only, please.” The event is set to take place on June 5 at the Delaware County District Library’s Orange Branch as part of a number of summer programs for teenagers. The library’s Board of Trustees hosted a public meeting Tuesday night to discuss the event, but its recording of the meeting cut off just ten minutes in. “We are experiencing some technical difficulties in network and signal out here in Ostrander,” the library claimed on Facebook. “We’re going to try to record remaining comments and post.” The library later claimed that “the service at the facility was poor and we have no more recordings from this.” The recording, however, did manage to capture…

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