Day: March 6, 2019

Given $17.5M Tax Break to Bring Jobs to Tennessee, AllianceBernstein Now Pushes New York Policies

A.P. Dillon

AllianceBernstein, a money management firm given $17.5 million in tax breaks and incentives to relocate its headquarters to Nashville, has already begun to push New York City style policies at the state’s legislature. The Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development announced in May of 2018 that AllianceBernstein would its corporate headquarters from Manhattan to Nashville.  The move is set to happen in 2020 and is supposed to bring 1,050 jobs to Nashville, but the company is already inserting itself into local politics. This week, The COO of Alliance Bernstein and several LGBTQ organizations came in opposition to three bills they allege discriminates against LGBTQ individuals. “AB chose to move to Tennessee because we believe it is a welcoming state that is focused on growing jobs, incomes and the tax base, which will improve lives for all Tennesseans,” AllianceBernstein COO Jim Gingrich said in a statement. “We believe strongly in the need for continued investments in education, safety, infrastructure for all,” Gingrich said. “The bills being debated in the current session of the legislature send a clear message to certain constituencies that they are not welcome.” The bills being opposed by AllianceBernstein include a public indecency law, an adoptions law, and protections for a business’…

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DeWine Breaks from Republicans on Gas Tax

Andrew Shirley

COLUMBUS, Ohio–In Tuesday’s State of the State Address, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine made it very clear he would not back down on the 18 cent gas tax, leaving many state Republicans in a complicated position. In his Address, DeWine made it clear that, not only was the gas tax absolutely necessary but that an 18 cent per gallon increase (generating an additional $1.2 billion per year) was also the bare minimum necessary to address the needs of the state. “Our local jurisdictions and the state have a combined shortfall this year and for years into the future of at least $1.2 billion dollars per year. It will take this much additional revenue just for us to maintain our roads in their current condition and do only a modest amount of new work,” DeWine said. “Members of the General Assembly, by requesting $1.2 billion dollars to fill the budget hole and meet existing needs, let me assure you that I am taking a minimalist, conservative approach, with this being the absolute bare minimum we need to protect our families and our economy.” Despite his assertion that this is as low as the hike can be, a senior legislator from his…

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Commentary: Say It Ain’t So Rand, Say It Ain’t So

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by CHQ Staff   Our liberty-minded friend Senator Rand Paul has apparently come out in support of a resolution blocking President Trump’s use of a national emergency declaration to fund the much-needed security wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. According to multiple media reports, Sen. Paul said in a speech Saturday that he “can’t vote to give extra-Constitutional powers to the president.” According to the Bowling Green [Kentucky] Daily News, Paul told attendees of the Southern Kentucky Lincoln Day Dinner, “I can’t vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress.” Paul also said, “We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn’t authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it’s a dangerous thing.” Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, Susan Collins, of Maine, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, have also signaled opposition to President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, leaving Senate passage of the Democrats’ resolution of disapproval a strong possibility. The problem we have with Senator Paul’s argument against the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border is two-fold. First, it rests upon the faulty constitutional premise that the…

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Commentary: North Carolina Election Fraud Should Be a Wake-Up Call for the Left

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by Jason Snead and Hans von Spakovsky   Widespread fraud by a political operative working for a Republican is forcing a redo of the 2018 midterm race for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. The news confirms just how vulnerable our elections are to voter fraud, and how profound the consequences can be. That should be the takeaway. Yet many on the left and in the media seem far more interested in spinning the situation for partisan gain than finding genuine solutions to the election insecurities that enabled this fraud in the first place. They focus on the fact that this is “Republican” voter fraud and accuse conservatives of “deafening” and hypocritical silence. They even refuse to call it “voter fraud” to avoid embarrassment after years of denying that voter fraud is a problem. These claims debase the political process. They are cynical, politically motivated, and miss the point entirely. Election integrity is about much more than partisan politics—it is about preserving faith in the democratic process itself. That’s why Heritage Foundation analysts were quick to condemn this instance of “Republican” voter fraud and called for an investigation, writing: “It is incumbent on conservatives and Republicans to resist the urge to circle…

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Pelosi: Democrats Are Preparing to Bring Net Neutrality Back from the Dead

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by Chris White   House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims her caucus will introduce legislation Wednesday replacing the open internet rules the Trump administration dinged in 2018. A bill called the Save the Internet Act is set to be unveiled Wednesday and will be introduced in the Senate as well, the California Democrat told colleagues in a letter Monday. Details about the potential bill have not yet been made public. Democrats spent the past two years fuming after Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai voted to repeal the so-called Open Internet rules, a series of Obama-era regulations prohibiting internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or throttling websites or creating fast lanes. He argued at the time that the rules were overbearing and not within the purview of the FCC. Republicans frequently criticize reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service, which designates ISPs as common carriers and opens up the industry to tougher regulation. Conservatives believe the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a more appropriate agency to impose tough penalties when and if companies attempt to block certain types of traffic. Both parties and the broadband industry want legislation codifying net neutrality implemented, but partisan divisions over what rules should be in effect…

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Whitaker, Former Acting US Attorney General, Leaves Justice Dept.

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Matthew Whitaker, whose brief tenure as acting U.S. attorney general was marred by accusations he might try to interfere in a probe of President Donald Trump’s campaign, left his Justice Department job over the weekend, a department spokeswoman confirmed on Monday. Whitaker’s last day at the department was on Saturday, the spokeswoman said, adding she did not know where he might be headed next. In mid-February, Attorney General William Barr was sworn in and Whitaker stepped down from the top post to become a senior counselor in the office of the associate attorney general. In one of his final acts as acting attorney general, Whitaker testified before the House Judiciary Committee, where combative Democratic lawmakers pressed him on whether he had tried to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia. Whitaker denied any interference and said he had not talked to Trump about the probe. Trump has denied colluding with Russia and has repeatedly called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt.” Whitaker first joined the Justice Department as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff in the autumn of 2017. Trump handpicked him as acting attorney general in November after the president ousted…

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Ocasio-Cortez and Her Chief of Staff ‘Could Be Facing Jail Time’ If Their Control Over PAC Was Intentionally Hidden, Former FEC Commissioner Says

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by Andrew Kerr   Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti obtained majority control of Justice Democrats PAC in December 2017, according to archived copies of the group’s website, and the two appear to retain their control of the group, according to corporate filings obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. If the Federal Election Commission (FEC) finds that the New York Democrat’s campaign operated in affiliation with the PAC, which had raised more than $1.8 million before her June 2018 primary, it would open them up to “massive reporting violations, probably at least some illegal contribution violations exceeding the lawful limits,” former FEC commissioner Brad Smith said. Ocasio-Cortez never disclosed to the FEC that she and Chakrabarti, who served as her campaign chair, controlled the PAC while it was simultaneously supporting her primary campaign, and former FEC commissioners say the arrangement could lead to multiple campaign finance violations. The group backed 12 Democrats during the 2018 midterms, but Ocasio-Cortez was the only one of those to win her general election. “If the facts as alleged are true, and a candidate had control over a PAC that was working to get that candidate elected, then that…

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Michigan’s Democratic Governor Pushes for an Enormous Gas Tax Increase

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by Chris White   Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing what some opponents are calling a draconian gas tax increase to fix the state’s crumbling road infrastructure. Whitmer’s budget proposal will include a 45-cent gas tax increase, which would be phased in over three separate intervals, the governor’s spokeswoman Tiffany Brown told reporters Monday. The rate would begin increasing in October, hit its second phase in April 2020, and ease into its final phase by the end of that year. The increase is expected to generate roughly $2 billion a year in additional revenue for roads, according to media reports. Whitmer, a Democrat who ran on fixing Michigan’s roads, will present her idea to lawmakers Tuesday during a joint meeting of the House and Senate appropriations committees. Whitmer’s plan would make Michigan one of the highest fuel tax rates in the country, behind the likes of California and Pennsylvania. Michigan motorists currently pay 26.3-cent per gallon. Total at-pump costs in the state are already the sixth highest in the nation, in part because Michigan applies its 6 percent sales tax to fuel purchases. Michigan Republicans have mixed feelings about such an increase. Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox panned…

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More Than 20 States Sue Trump Administration Over Title X Abortion Funding ‘Gag’

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by Grace Carr   Twenty states will file a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration over its latest move to force abortion clinics to separate abortion from other health care services in order to qualify for Title X funding. The states will file their suit in a U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, Tuesday. The multi-state suit comes after Democratic California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration over its Title X rule in a U.S. District Court in San Francisco, The Washington Post reported Monday. Title X is a federal grant program that provides individuals with “comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services,” according to HHS. The 21 states are seeking an injunction to prevent the Trump administration’s Feb. 22 rule barring Title X funds from supporting programs and organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals. The rule states that “none of the funds appropriated for Title X may be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” The rule also “requir[es] the physical and financial separation of Title X projects and facilities from programs and facilities where abortion is a method of family planning,” according to the text. The…

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As 2020 Nears, Pressure Grows to Replace Voting Machines

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Voting experts say time is running short for states to replace voting machines in time for the start of the 2020 presidential primaries. Time and money are running short for states to replace aging or inadequate voting machines before the 2020 presidential primaries, according to a report released Tuesday. State and local election officials in 31 states say they want to replace their voting equipment before the elections, but the vast majority said they don’t have enough money to do so, according to The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s School of Law. “We basically have this year and then it’s too late,” said Lawrence Norden, deputy director of the center’s Democracy Program and author of the report. It can take months to decide on replacement machines, secure the funding, develop security protocols, train workers and test the equipment. States received $380 million in election security grants from Congress last year, but experts have said that’s merely a down payment on what is needed. Pennsylvania received $13.5 million from the federal government, but that’s just a quarter of what it would cost to switch to voting machines that use paper ballots, said J. Alex Halderman, director of the Center for…

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Second HIV-Positive Patient Reported Cured, Giving Hope That Disease Will Soon Be History

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by Grace Carr   A second individual suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) appears to have been cured, marking a major breakthrough in scientific advancement that could mean the elimination of the disease in the future. Twelve years after doctors cured an HIV-positive patient for the first time, a second patient appears to be in “long-term remission,” giving hope to those afflicted with the disease that a cure is no longer a pipe dream. The patient asked to remain anonymous and is referred to as the “London patient.” He received a bone-marrow transplant that appeared able to cure both his cancer and HIV. “I never thought that there would be a cure during my lifetime,” the patient told The New York Times. HIV is a virus spread through bodily fluids that attacks the immune system, specifically CD4 cells, according to HIV.gov. Over time, the virus renders the body unable to fend off infections and disease. HIV is largely spread through sexual intercourse and shared syringe use. Mothers can, however, spread the virus to their babies by breastfeeding. “This will inspire people that cure is not a dream,” virologist Annemarie Wensing told TheNYT. “It’s reachable.” Wensing heads a consortium of European…

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Ohio House Finance Committee Makes Its Own Road Funding Proposal of 10.7 Cent Gas Tax Increase Phased in Over Three Years, No Indexing

Laura Baigert

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After more than an hour and a half delay waiting for the substitute bill to be prepared, House Finance Chairman Scott Oelslager (R-District 48) called the meeting to order and presented the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 proposed Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Budget under HB 62. The Transportation Budget, as presented by Oelslager (pictured above), would include an increase of 10.7 cents per gallon on gasoline and 20 cents per gallon on diesel. There would be a three-year phase-in on both increases as follows: Gasoline 5 cents in October 1, 2019 3 cents on October 1, 2020 2.7 cent on October 1, 2021 Diesel 10 cents on October 1, 2019 6 cents on October 1, 2020 4 cents on October 1, 2021 And, it was noted, “This increase will not be indexed,” with the emphasis included in the hard-copy document distributed to the Finance Committee members. The document also reported that the increases in the state motor fuel taxes, once fully phased in, will yield approximately $872 million.  The current split of 60/40 between ODOT and local governments will be maintained. The proposal includes new registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles, at $200 and $100, respectively. Compressed…

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Commentary: Retreat, Regroup, and Reinvest in a Realist Foreign Policy

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by Christopher Roach   Donald Trump’s administration has allowed the United States to renegotiate its orientation to the rest of the world. Partisans have sniped in contradictory ways, criticizing him both as a warmonger and a naïve peacenik, but they rarely offer thoughtful alternatives to the course Trump has taken. Trump’s foreign policy has two sides, both of which are radical departures from the recent past. He has embraced foreign policy minimalism, whether in the Middle East or with regard to long term commitments like NATO. At the same time, Trump has undone inertia and pursued confrontation, whether in the war of words with North Korea’s leader in 2017 or in the application of tariffs against China, long the fair-haired child of the foreign policy establishment. President Trump rightly pointed out during the 2016 campaign what a disaster the Iraq War had been and explicitly rejected the regime-change policies of his predecessors. He also signaled a willingness to have warmer relations with Russia, which the foreign policy leaders of both parties oppose out of habit and opposition to that country’s cultural conservatism. Trump, however, sometimes disappoints the peace camp. He bombed the Syrian regime in 2017 for its alleged use…

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DeWine’s First State of the State Address Focuses on Long Term Plans for Ohio

Andrew Shirley

COLUMBUS, Ohio– Tuesday, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine addressed a joint session of the Ohio legislature in his first State of the State Address. While he covered several topics ranging from workforce development to infrastructure repair, the speech’s main focus was three key points; the gas tax, greater protections for children, and environmental action. Prior to his remarks, DeWine was asked what, specifically, he would address. He did not mention the raising gas tax. However, almost half of the speech he gave focused  directly or indirectly on the necessity of doing just that. He stated: These are the essential facts: Our counties, cities, villages, and townships have seen their resources for road and bridge repairs dwindle and dwindle over the years. A dollar of gas tax in 2005—the last time the gas tax was raised—now only buys 58 cents worth of road and bridge repairs. And our local partners—townships, villages, cities, and counties—have received no relief for 14 years. Each year, their infrastructure degrades more and more. Each year, they fall further and further behind. And each year, their roads and bridges get less and less safe…by requesting $1.2 billion dollars to fill the budget hole and meet existing needs, let me assure you…

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North Carolina Lawmakers File Writ to Stop a Ruling Blocking Amendments Passed By Voters

A.P. Dillon

State lawmakers have now filed a 32-page Writ of Supersedeas after a motion for a stay was rejected. A Writ of Supersedeas is a legal filing, similar to a stay of proceeding, which suspends a trial court’s judgment until an appeal is heard. “More than two million North Carolinians had their votes suppressed on critical issues of election integrity and the income tax cap for their families,” Speaker Moore said in a statement. “The Court of Appeals should reverse this outrageous decision as soon as possible to restore the people’s confidence that their voices matter and cannot be invalidated by a single judge who disagrees with their decision,” said Moore. On March 1, Superior Court Judge George Bryan Collins, Jr. ruled that two out of four state constitutional amendments passed by North Carolina voters in 2018 were illegal because the State Legislature was itself “illegal.” “An illegally constituted General Assembly does not represent the people of North Carolina and is therefore not empowered to pass legislation that would amend the state’s constitution,” Collins wrote in his ruling. “The trial court became perhaps the first court in the country to invalidate legislation based on the theory that a state’s legislative branch…

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House Dems Plan Vote on Resolution to Formally Condemn Ilhan Omar’s Anti-Semitism

Anthony Gockowski

Democratic lawmakers are preparing to formally denounce Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) anti-Semitic comments in a House resolution set to be voted on Wednesday. Omar once again found herself at the center of a controversy after video leaked of her making anti-Semitic comments at a Washington, D.C. coffee shop. “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policies?” Omar said during an event at Busboys & Poets. Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said he was “dispirited and appalled that Rep. Omar would traffic in yet another antisemitic trope.” “As the ADL helpfully explains on its website, the antisemitic allegation often referred to as the ‘dual loyalty’ charge, ‘alleges that Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens because their true allegiance is to their coreligionists around the world or to a secret and immoral Jewish…

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Columbus Democratic Mayor Backs Governor DeWine’s Gas Tax

Andrew Shirley

COLUMBUS, Ohio– In a statement made via a Facebook Video, Columbus, Ohio’s Democratic Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced that he is backing DeWine’s 18 cent gas tax hike. The mayor said he is backing the bill because: It will help us increase our funding for infrastructure in Columbus neighborhoods by 19 million a year. We think that’s worthwhile because we know infrastructure is really about people; opening up jobs and opportunities for others in the community to share in our prosperity. House Bill 62 (HB 62), which would create the transportation budget for the 2020-2021 biennium, includes the 18 cent gas tax increase and is currently being reviewed by the House Finance Committee. Governor DeWine made the case Tuesday in his State of the State Address for the necessity of the bill, stating: Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the General Assembly—our families should not be driving on roads that are crumbling and bridges that are failing. I appeal to you—as legislators, as fathers and mothers, as sons and daughters—help us fix this! The state has avoided its responsibility for too long—and now is the time to act. As previously reported, 30 percent of all roads are in “poor or mediocre condition.” DeWine dedicated almost half of his hour-long address to…

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EXCLUSIVE: Williamson County Schools Indoctrinated Teachers on How to Teach Students About ‘White Privilege’ With In-Service Training Video

Chris Butler

Williamson County School System officials recently made teachers watch a video that tried to instruct them not on ways to teach students reading, writing, and arithmetic — but it instead tried to indoctrinate teachers on how to teach students about “white privilege.” The 26-minute in-service training video, the third in a series about cultural competency, profiles several people whom the video describes as “Williamson County Voices.” The video does not identify anyone, nor does it make clear if these people are school system employees or county residents not formally affiliated with the school system. One man, though, identified himself as a school administrator. In the video, they and the narrator discuss social justice causes, the perks white males supposedly have that others do not, America’s supposed dysfunctional history, and how unfair it all is. At the beginning, an unidentified female narrator encourages teachers to “recognize the construct of privilege and its implications.” (emphasis added) “Our second goal is for you to have built confidence in your ability to engage in courageous conversations about privilege,” the narrator said. “If we as educators do not build our capacity to discuss challenging topics with our colleagues then how can we teach those skills…

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