Arkansas U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) recently endorsed Republican nominee Bernie Moreno in the Ohio U.S. Senate race.
Read the full storySenator Tom Cotton Endorses Bernie Moreno in Ohio U.S. Senate Race
Tag: Tom Cotton
The Pentagon is Paying a Chinese Communist Party-Linked Venture Capital Firm for Tutoring Services
The CEO of a Chinese venture capital firm that quietly bought up a U.S. education company holding a Pentagon contract has long-standing connections to multiple Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence units, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
Primavera Capital, a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, was an early investor in TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and owns Princeton Review and Tutor.com. However, a review of the firm’s Chinese-language website found that CEO and founder Fred Hu has extensive ties to the Chinese government and belonged to organizations that the U.S. government has identified as part of the CCP’s “United Front” system.
Read the full storyWisconsin U.S. Senator Sees Connection in America’s Fentanyl Crisis and White House Cocaine Problem
Some Republicans have of late quipped, is it any wonder the United States is facing a deadly fentanyl epidemic when the Biden administration can’t even keep cocaine out of the White House?
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) certainly isn’t surprised.
Read the full storyWisconsin Congressman Glenn Grothman Leading Investigation Into Biden Administration Decision to Cease DNA Testing At Southern Border
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06) and his subcommittee have opened an investigation into the Biden administration’s decision to end familial DNA testing at the U.S. Mexico border.
DNA testing is a key tool used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to prevent fraudulent entry of migrants posing as family members — critical in targeting child trafficking, according to security officials.
Read the full storyPresidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Calls for China to Pay Reparations for COVID Lab Leak
In the wake of revelations the U.S. Energy Department now believes the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from an accidental lab leak in China, Republicans are calling for investigations and accountably. One presidential candidate, health science entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, says China owes reparations and should be expelled from the World Trade Organization.
“Now we know what we should have known all along: COVID-19 began in a lab in China,” Ramaswamy, who launched his campaign last week, said in a statement. “As President I will extract reparations from the Communist Chinese Party, using every financial lever available to us.”
Read the full storyBill Seeks to Cap Pay for Diversity Employees at Department of Defense
Two Republican Congressmen have filed legislation that would limit the pay of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employees at the Department of Defense to that of front-line soldiers.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, introduced legislation Wednesday that would cap the amount of compensation for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employees at the Department of Defense to the rank of E-5, which is $31,000 a year. U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, introduced companion legislation in the House.
Read the full storyRepublican U.S. Senators File Bill to End China’s Permanent Normal Trade Status
Several Republican senators filed a bill on Friday to end China’s Permanent Normal Trade Status (PNTR), citing concerns over American job losses and human rights abuses overseas.
The China Trade Relations Act, which would strip China of its PNTR, was filed by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and J.D. Vance, R-Ohio.
Read the full storyGOP Sen. Cotton Vows to Stall Nominations Until Congress Gets Biden, Trump Classified Docs
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton vowed that lawmakers would stall Biden government nominations until it handed over the materials the FBI recovered from both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
“Until the administration stops stonewalling Congress, there will be pain as a consequence for them,” Cotton said, according to The Hill. “Whether it’s blocking nominees or withholding budgetary funds, Congress will impose pain on the administration until they provide these documents.”
Read the full storyTom Cotton Freezes Confirmation of DOJ Nominees over Failure to Address Antifa Riots
At least eight of Joe Biden’s nominations for the Department of Justice have been placed on hold by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), due to the Department’s failure to answer Cotton’s questions about its inaction over the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots of 2020.
As reported by Fox News, Cotton’s criticisms have focused specifically on the DOJ’s failure to properly defend a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, which ended up under siege by far-left domestic terrorists on a daily basis throughout 2020 and even into 2021. Cotton has already sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland pointing out that, on top of letting the courthouse itself be attacked, the DOJ has not offered any legal assistance to several U.S. Marshals who have been sued for defending the courthouse against rioters.
“These courageous officers were attacked by left-wing street militants with weapons such as mortar fire, ball bearings, and blinding lasers,” Cotton’s letter reads in part. “A refusal to represent these Deputy Marshals would violate the Department’s long-standing practice — not to mention its moral duty — to defend law-enforcement officers when they’re sued for actions in the line of duty.”
Read the full storySenators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to End U.S. Reliance on Chinese Minerals
A Republican and Democratic senator introduced legislation Friday that aims to end U.S. reliance on rare-earth metals sourced from and produced in China.
The Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths (REEShore) Act would prevent supply disruptions and bolster domestic production of the minerals, according to Sens. Tom Cotton and Mark Kelly, the bill’s sponsors. They said the legislation is important for American national security and development of advanced technologies.
“The Chinese Communist Party has a chokehold on global rare-earth element supplies, which are used in everything from batteries to fighter jets,” Cotton said in a statement. “Ending America’s dependence on the CCP for extraction and processing of these elements is critical to winning the strategic competition against China and protecting our national security.”
Read the full storyCotton, Klobuchar Plan to Rein in Big Tech’s ‘Monopolistic’ Practices with New Bipartisan Bill
Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar unveiled a bipartisan bill Friday intended to restrict how major tech companies acquire and merge with smaller firms.
The bill, titled the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, is a companion to antitrust legislation advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee in June. If enacted, the law would shift the burden in antitrust cases to the acquiring party for mergers greater than $50 million, meaning that the acquiring firm would have to prove that its acquisition of another company was not anti-competitive.
The bill explicitly targets Big Tech companies, and it applies to firms with market capitalizations over $600 billion, at least 50,000,000 U.S.-based monthly active users or 100,000 monthly active business users. This would include Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple.
Read the full storyAttorney General Garland Grilled by GOP Senators over Department of Justice Memo Targeting Parents at School Meetings
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday faced a litany of hard-edged Senate questions about agreeing to allow federal law enforcement to investigate alleged incidents of outspoken parents at school board meetings.
Garland, in a memo, agreed to responded to a Sept. 29 letter from the National School Board Association to President Biden asking that the FBI, Justice Department and other federal agencies to investigate potential acts of domestic terrorism at the meetings. Parents across the nation have been voicing their concerns about the curricula being taught to their children, in addition to instances like the one currently playing out in northern Virginia, in which there was an apparent coverup of the sexual assault of a female student in a bathroom.
Read the full storyPelosi: ‘Yes,’ IRS ‘Tracking’ of Bank Accounts over $600 Still on Table as Opposition Grows
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., doubled down on the inclusion in a spending bill of a Democratic provision that would require banks to report to the IRS transactions for accounts holding over $600.
When asked Tuesday if the IRS monitoring would remain in Democrats’ proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation legislation, Pelosi emphatically said “yes.”
Read the full storyRepublicans Demand Release of Marine Lt. Col. Jailed for Criticizing Afghanistan Withdrawal
Republican lawmakers in both houses of Congress are demanding that the United States Marine Corps release a Lieutenant Colonel who was jailed earlier this week for criticizing military leadership after the failed Afghanistan withdrawal, Breitbart reports.
A Marine spokesperson confirmed that Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller is currently in pre-trial confinement in the Regional Brig of Marine Corps Installations East, in Camp Lejeune, as he awaits an Article 32 hearing. Although he has not yet been formally charged, Scheller faces the possibility of being charged under a handful of articles, including “contempt toward officials” (Article 88), “willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer” (Article 90), “failure to obey lawful general orders” (Article 92), and “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman” (Article 133).
Scheller first made his criticisms in a viral video he posted to Facebook on August 26th, the same day that a suicide attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital city of Kabul claimed the lives of 13 American servicemembers, as well as hundreds of Afghan civilians. Scheller demanded accountability from military leadership for a withdrawal that has been universally viewed, both domestically and internationally, as a disaster.
Read the full story‘You Broke the Military’: Milley, Austin Set for Second Congressional Grilling on Afghanistan
Top American military leaders are set for another round of intense congressional grilling on Wednesday, following a day-long Tuesday session that at times featured blistering criticism of their part in the U.S. exit from Afghanistan.
The Tuesday hearing placed on the griddle Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin; U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. Frank McKenzie; and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
Read the full storySenators Cotton, Hawley to Work on Bipartisan Bills Aimed at Breaking up Big Tech
Senate Republicans are joining with Democrats to work on a series of antitrust bills aimed at breaking up and regulating major tech companies.
Sen. Tom Cotton is working with both Democrats and Republicans in developing complementary legislation to several of the antitrust bills the House Judiciary Committee advanced in June, a spokesman for Sen. Cotton told the Daily Caller News Foundation, including the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act.
The House’s version of the act, one of a series of antitrust bills introduced by bipartisan members of the House Judiciary Committee, sought to prevent major tech platforms from consolidating their market share by acquiring smaller competitors. Under the law, the burden of proof would be on big tech companies to prove their mergers are lawful.
Read the full storyTennessee Senators Join Sen. Tom Cotton in Legislating Against Anti-Israel Labeling
Tennessee’s U.S. Senators, Marsha Blackburn (R) and Bill Hagerty (R), this week joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) in sponsoring legislation forbidding the executive branch from publishing guidelines on country-of-origin product labels that disfavor Israel.
Per a 1995 Clinton-era policy, U.S. labeling regulations used to require that products manufactured in Judea and Samaria be labeled as “Made in West Bank.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Tax All Foundations and Endowments Now
If there were trillions of dollars socked away in convenient vehicles to avoid taxes and benefit the ultra-elite should we not tax them? Are they not fair game in a just system of taxation, where the little guy and the middle class have to pay up—or else?
The largest endowments, mainly universities indoctrinating students in social justice, wokeism, and class warfare, pay absolutely no taxes.
The big foundations, promoting radical left-wing activism, likewise pay no taxes.
Read the full storyTom Cotton Introduces ‘SECURE CAMPUS Act’ to Stop Chinese Spying at Universities
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced a bill to stop the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from conducting espionage on American college campuses.
According to a press release from his office, Sen. Cotton re-introduced the “SECURE CAMPUS Act” on April 22. The bill would “prohibit Chinese nationals from receiving visas to the United States for graduate or post-graduate studies in STEM fields and would ban participants in China’s foreign talent recruitment programs and Chinese nationals from taking part in federally-funded STEM research.”
Sen. Cotton remarked that “Allowing China unfettered access to American research institutions is akin to granting Soviet scientists access to our critical laboratories during the Cold War.”
Read the full storyTom Cotton Introduces Bill to Ban Critical Race Theory from U.S. Armed Forces
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced a bill on Thursday seeking to ban critical race theory from being taught in the United States military, referring to such a practice as “anti-American,” as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
Senator Cotton said that such teachings, which essentially claim that America is an “inherently racist” country and that White people are automatically racist and “privileged,” would only “demoralize and divide” members of the armed forces. In his statement announcing the bill, Cotton declared that “our military’s strength depends on the unity of our troops and the knowledge that America is a noble nation worth fighting for.”
Read the full storyCommentary: If The GOP Wants To Put America First, It Should Put The Chamber of Commerce in Its Place
Georgia Republicans want to make their elections work better after the 2020 disaster. They’ve proposed sensible measures to eliminate no-excuse absentee ballots, remove dubious ballot drop-off boxes, and reform early voting times. This effort would restore trust in the election process and ensure every ballot is legitimate. But, for some strange reason, this legislation has drawn the ire of the state’s business community.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce last week expressed its “concern and opposition” to these measures in an official statement endorsed by Home Depot and Coca-Cola, two major corporations based in the Peach State. Black Lives Matter, Stacey Abrams, and other left-wing activists are pressuring these corporations and others to do more to oppose these election reform laws. They’re running TV and newspaper ads to strongarm companies into doing their bidding, and there’s a good chance the corporations eventually will bend the knee. Few corporations nowadays can resist the woke mobs.
Read the full storyCotton, Rubio Blast Biden over Decision on China’s Confucius Institutes
Two Republican senators on Tuesday blasted President Joe Biden for withdrawing a proposed rule that would require U.S. schools to disclose their partnerships with Confucius Institutes, which some U.S. officials and lawmakers have alleged serve as front groups for the Chinese Communist Party.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, both known as China hawks, criticized Biden on Tuesday following reports that the administration had withdrawn the rule, which the Trump administration proposed to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Dec. 31.
Read the full storyCotton, Senators Demand SBA Stop Planned Parenthood’s ‘Naked Attempts to Defraud’ Government Through PPP Loans
Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton is leading lawmakers in calling on the Small Business Administration (SBA) to investigate alleged illegal loans distributed to Planned Parenthood affiliates, according to a letter exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Planned Parenthood affiliates are well aware that they are ineligible to receive PPP loans, on the basis of SBA’s letters and the frank admission of their political action committee” the senators wrote in a Thursday letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “Their attempts to apply for PPP loans are naked attempts to defraud the United States government.”
Read the full storyU.S. Sen. Tom Cotton Warns Georgia of Dire Future If Voters Elect Dems to Control US Senate
If the residents of Georgia don’t want radical socialists to impose their ultimate wish list upon America then they better get out and vote Republican on January 5.
That was the message that U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) relayed to a couple hundred people at a Defend the Majority Rally at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry on Thursday. Cotton appeared alongside U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA). Perdue and Loeffler, both Republicans, are on the January 5, 2021 ballot against two Democrats, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.
Read the full storyTom Cotton to Hold Rally for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler Thursday in Perry
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is scheduled to headline a rally for U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) at a “Defend The Majority” rally in Perry on Thursday.
According to an emailed press release, the rally will “fire up” Georgia Republicans before next year’s January 5, 2021 runoff.
Read the full storyBlackburn Bill Aiming to Hold China Accountable for Coronavirus Passes Through the Senate Judiciary Committee
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said in a statement that a bill she is sponsoring that would allow Americans to sue China over its role in COVID-19 has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The bill, called the Civil Justice for Victims of COVID Act, would allow suits to be brought in federal court over China’s role in spreading the Chinese coronavirus.
Read the full storyU.S. Sen. Tom Cotton Tells Clarksville Residents Why He Supports Bill Hagerty
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said in Clarksville Friday that he wants Tennessee voters to send Bill Hagerty to the U.S. Senate.
Cotton and Hagerty appeared alongside one another at the Clarksville Country Club.
Read the full storyTom Cotton and Bill Hagerty Discuss Taking Jobs Back from China and Defunding Schools Using The 1619 Project as Curriculum
Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Senator Tom Cotton and Bill Hagerty to the studio to discuss China’s role as American adversary and defunding schools that use The 1619 Project curriculum.
Read the full storyTom Cotton Scheduled to Appear in Clarksville Alongside Bill Hagerty on Friday
U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty announced Saturday that he will host U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) in Clarksville on Friday.
“Team Hagerty is looking forward to hosting Senator Tom Cotton in Tennessee next week,” Hagerty said in a press release his staff posted on his campaign’s website.
Read the full storyBill Hagerty Announces More Than 1,000 Endorsements From Local Leaders Across All of Tennessee’s 95 Counties
U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty on Wednesday announced more than 1,000 endorsements from government officials, business leaders, law enforcement officers, and community leaders across all of Tennessee’s 95 counties.
This, according to a press release that members of Hagerty’s campaign posted on his website.
Read the full storyTom Cotton Runs Digital Ad in Minnesota, Says Biden ‘Too Confused to Lead’
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), whom The Wall Street Journal recently described as the “heir to Trumpism,” has launched a new ad attacking Joe Biden for his failure to stand up to the “liberal mob.”
Cotton is running unopposed in his reelection bid and is considered a likely future presidential candidate for the Republicans.
Read the full storyU.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann Endorses Bill Hagerty for U.S. Senate
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) endorsed Bill Hagerty Wednesday for the United States Senate, citing the former ambassador’s business acumen among the reasons for his support.
“Bill Hagerty is a trustworthy conservative businessman, just like President Trump, who has my complete support,” Fleischmann said in the press release.
Read the full storyU.S. Sen. Tom Cotton Lays Out Evidence of China’s Role in Spread of COVID-19 During Tele-Town Hall with Bill Hagerty
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) participated in a tele-town hall Monday with U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty and described why he believes COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab.
This, even though many people originally believed the virus started at a Chinese wet market.
Read the full storyBill Hagerty Gets Tom Cotton Endorsement and Releases New TV Ad
U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty this week released a new television ad highlighting his business record, and that ad will run statewide.
“Now more than ever, we need business-minded leaders in the Senate to help get our economy going again and create more jobs for Americans. Just like President Trump, I have a proven track record of creating jobs, helping businesses expand and growing Tennessee’s economy to one of the strongest in the country,” Hagerty said in a press release.
Read the full storyMarsha Blackburn and Tom Cotton Introduce Resolution Calling for Justice for George Floyd and Opposing ‘Defund the Police’
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have introduced a resolution calling for justice for George Floyd and opposing recent calls to defund the police.
This, according to a press release Blackburn published on her website Wednesday.
Read the full storyMarsha Blackburn Urges Bill Barr to Investigate Planned Parenthood
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in sending a letter on Thursday to Attorney General Bill Barr urging the Department of Justice to investigate Planned Parenthood.
Specifically, they asked Barr to investigate whether dozens of Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country fraudulently applied for and received loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) despite knowing they were ineligible to apply.
Read the full storyCotton Bill Blocks Stimulus ‘Handout’ to Illegal Aliens
Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton announced legislation Tuesday that would prevent state and local governments from using public funds to make coronavirus assistance payments to individuals living in the United States illegally.
Cotton plans to introduce the No Bailouts for Illegal Aliens Act, an amendment to the CARES Act that would restrict any future payments to states or municipalities until they certify they’re not distributing stimulus checks or other payments to illegal aliens.
Read the full storyBlackburn Joins Three Other Republican Senators in Introducing Act to Prevent Immigrant Children from Being Trafficked at Southern Border
U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and three other Republican senators on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. Blackburn announced she was working with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). The bill, S. 1561, is also known as the Accountability for Care of Unaccompanied Alien Children Act to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. Blackburn tweeted, “Today, @ChuckGrassley, @SenTomCotton & @HawleyMO and I introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. This is a critical step we must take to secure our country and protect those who are being taken advantage of by criminals.” Today, @ChuckGrassley, @SenTomCotton & @HawleyMO and I introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. This is a critical step we must take to secure our country and protect those who are being taken advantage of by criminals. pic.twitter.com/oRCJzZwQIt — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 21, 2019 At a 2018 Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing, Blackburn said, a Department of Health and Human Services official admitted the agency lost track of nearly 1,500 unaccompanied minors after their release from federal custody…
Read the full storyTom Cotton Hits White House for Plan to Dole Out an Additional 30,000 Temporary Worker Visas
by Jason Hopkins Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, a longtime ally of the president, took a swipe at the White House for planning to issue tens of thousands of additional temporary worker visas. “Our immigration system should prioritize the needs of U.S. citizens over cheap foreign labor. Allowing an additional 30,000 seasonal workers into the country forces Americans to compete for jobs against non-citizens who drag down wages,” Cotton said in a Monday statement. The senator’s scathing statement follows news that the Trump administration will allow an additional 30,000 seasonal foreign workers to enter the U.S. through September. The work visas, known as H-2Bs, will primarily benefit fisheries, oyster shucking companies, seasonal hotels and loggers. The seasonal visas are intended to bring in people who perform jobs that don’t typically attract American workers. White House officials cautioned that the foreign nationals — all of whom would be returning workers — will go through a background check and are trusted not to remain in the U.S. past their visa due date. The economy grew at an annualized pace of 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019, blowing past experts’ expectations, according to data from the Department of Commerce (DOC)…
Read the full storyCommentary: RAISE Act Introduced, Cuts Immigration Numbers, Makes Merit Top Priority
by CHQ Staff Republican Senators Tom Cotton, David Perdue and Sen. Josh Hawley have introduced the 2019 version of the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act, a bill to replace the current employment-visa system with a skills-based framework that gives priority to immigrants who are more educated, speak English and have a history of achievement. In a statement announcing the introduction of the 2019 version of the bill the Senators said it would spur economic growth and raise working Americans’ wages by giving priority to the best-skilled immigrants from around the world and reducing overall immigration levels. Representative Francis Rooney (FL-19) will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The RAISE Act is supported by President Trump and has been described by the White House as a bill that “will create a merit-based immigration system that protects our workers, our taxpayers, and our economy.” Specifically, the RAISE Act would: Establish a Skills-Based Points System. The RAISE Act would replace the current permanent employment-visa system with a skills-based points system, akin to the systems used by Canada and Australia. The system would prioritize those immigrants who are best positioned to succeed in the United States and expand…
Read the full storySen. Cotton Seeks IRS Inquiry Into Southern Poverty Law Center’s Tax Status
by Fred Lucas Sen. Tom Cotton has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal activist organization that regularly brands organizations it opposes as “hate groups.” Cotton, R-Ark., said the probe is needed for “protecting taxpayer dollars from a racist and sexist slush fund devoted to defamation.” The Arkansas lawmaker wrote a letter Tuesday to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, calling for the tax agency to probe whether the SPLC should retain its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. “Recent news reports have confirmed the long-established fact that the SPLC regularly engaged in defamation of its political opponents,” he wrote. “In fact, the SPLC’s defining characteristic is to fundraise off of defamation.” Sen. Tom Cotton has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal activist organization that regularly brands organizations it opposes as “hate groups.” Cotton, R-Ark., said the probe is needed for “protecting taxpayer dollars from a racist and sexist slush fund devoted to defamation.” The Arkansas lawmaker wrote a letter Tuesday to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, calling for the tax agency to probe whether the SPLC should retain its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. “Recent news reports have confirmed the long-established…
Read the full storySupreme Court Weighs Bid to Open Nation’s Largest Uranium Mine
by Kevin Daley The U.S. Supreme Court weighed a bid to open the nation’s largest deposit of uranium to mining Monday, which defense hawks say is essential to national security and crucial foreign policy objectives. The deposit, known as Coles Hill, sits in a small Virginia town called Chatham. The commonwealth of Virginia indefinitely banned uranium extraction in 1983. Virginia Uranium Inc., a private company that opposes the ban, sued in federal court to end the ban, arguing it infringes on federal power. Uranium mining occurs in three stages: first, uranium ore is removed from ground deposits. Next, the ore is ground into a fine substance and treated with a chemical solution to separate the pure ore from other elements, called tailings, which are radioactive. This process is referred to as milling. Finally, the radioactive tailings are stored in an environmentally safe facility. The federal Atomic Energy Act (AEA) gives the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) power to regulate steps two and three, but the first step — the actual mining itself — remains under state authority. The legal question is whether Virginia’s ban on uranium mining conflicts with the AEA. Though the commonwealth retains power to regulate mining, Virginia Uranium says the law…
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