Month: April 2019

Commentary: Inclusive Nationalism Is Not White Nationalism

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by Edward Ring   In response to the latest hysteria from the Left—the suppression of anything that in their blinkered judgment even remotely smacks of “white nationalism”—it is appropriate to again define and defend the benign, colorblind, patriotic, inspiring, and inclusive nationalism that is the foundation of American greatness. While the phrase “inclusive nationalism” might be criticized as an oxymoron, that is an overstatement of the tension between the two terms. Nationalism by definition is exclusive, insofar as you are either a citizen of a nation, or you are not. But by qualifying American nationalism as inclusive, and carefully explaining what “inclusive” means, you can rule out the malign forms of nationalism that emphasize race and ethnicity over more transcendent sources of unity. It would be inaccurate to consider inclusive nationalism as just another code word for globalism. If by “inclusive” one means that a person can become an American regardless of their ancestry, this doesn’t mean other criteria can’t be applied. Leftists, and globalists (often one and the same) use discussions of race and accusations of racism to shut down the long overdue conversation over what it means to be an American. Prefacing “nationalism” with the word “inclusive” reopens…

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New Jersey Parents to Rally Against LGBT Education Law

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by Rachel del Guidice   A rally this weekend will give New Jersey parents an opportunity to oppose a new state law requiring public schools to teach children about the “political, economic, and social contributions” of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. The new law also requires schools to stress such contributions made by disabled persons, but it’s the LGBT education component that prompted organizers to plan the rally. “When you teach about George Washington, you don’t teach that George Washington had sex with his wife and what he did; we teach what George Washington did as a president,” Victoria Jakelsky, a political consultant and parental rights activist in New Jersey, told The Daily Signal in an interview Wednesday. “But they are twisting it around to say that anyone who is LGBT, they’re going to explain what they did, who their relationships were [with], and incorporate it as gay and lesbian and bisexual people are the history-makers,” Jakelsky, a paralegal by training, said. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed the legislation into law Jan. 31, and it is set to go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year. Jakelsky is among those organizing the rally Saturday from 11…

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The Green New Deal Would Cause ‘Significant Environmental Damage,’ Report Finds

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by Michael Bastasch   The Green New Deal would cost trillions of dollars a year and cause “significant environmental damage,” according to a new report. The report, by American Enterprise Institute scholar Benjamin Zycher, claims the Green New Deal championed by many 2020 Democratic presidential candidates would come with its own set of environmental issues from rapidly expanding renewable energy. “There is the heavy-metal pollution created by the production process for wind turbines,” Zycher wrote in his report, which was released Wednesday. “There are the noise and flicker effects of wind turbines. There are the large problems of solar panel waste and toxic metals. There is the wildlife destruction caused by the production of renewable power,” Zycher wrote. Zycher’s conservative estimate of the Green New Deal’s total cost is about $9 trillion a year. The conservative American Action Forum reported in February the Green New Deal could cost $93 trillion over ten years. However, there are a lot of uncertainties when estimating the Green New Deal’s costs, and the $93 trillion figure has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. For starters, the Green New Deal more a list of broad goals than a detailed policy plan. Introduced by New York…

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Commentary: The Democrats’ Mean Girls Problem

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by George Rasley   The official entry into the Democratic Party’s presidential sweepstakes of former Vice President Joe Biden means the two leading presidential candidates of the party of “woke” are two old white males, and the number three candidate is, wait for it, a young white male. So, what happened to the party of breaking the glass ceiling and empowering women? This year’s Democratic presidential primary field is full of female candidates, but most of them barely register as a blip in the polls and, except for California’s Far-Left Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, none of them are raising the kind of money necessary to be competitive with Biden, Sanders, O’Rourke and Buttigieg. Adherents of gender politics will no doubt claim that the main reason none of the female candidates is breaking out is because they have an embarrassment of riches – there are too many good female candidates in the Democratic primary field, and they are splitting up the feminist vote. They can go with that if they want to, but we have a more reality-based analysis: It turns out that claiming to be inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, but sounding and voting like Margaret Sanger, is not a formula…

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Gavin Newsom Under Pressure to End Drilling as California’s Reliance on Saudi Oil Soars

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by Michael Bastasch   Environmentalists are optimistic Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom will further restrict, or even end, oil and gas drilling, despite his state’s increasing reliance on oil shipped from abroad. So-called “keep it in the ground” activists want to see Newsom ban new oil and gas leases, but anti-fossil fuel groups would also favor larger buffer zones between oil and gas production and buildings, like homes, schools and hospitals. Sierra Club and other activists have met informally with Newsom’s administration to discuss curbing oil production, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. The governor made no promises, but “expectations remain high,” The Times reported. “I’m taking a very pragmatic look at it, in scoping this,” Newsom told The Times in a recent interview. “It’s also an inclusive scoping because it includes people in the industry, that have jobs; communities that are impacted from an environmental justice prism but also from an economic justice prism.” California has 72,000 oil wells and consumes more gasoline than any other state. The oil industry also supports 368,000 jobs in the state, according to the Western States Petroleum Association. Newsom, however, does support moving California to 100 percent renewable energy, which means oil and…

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Young Americans Are Still Flocking to College Despite a Ton of Open Jobs

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by Tim Pearce   The rate of high school graduates enrolling in higher education increased from 2017 to 2018 despite record levels of open jobs in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported. Roughly 69 percent of all high school graduates enrolled in some form of higher education by October 2018, according to Labor Department data TheWSJ analyzed. The rate is about a 2-percent increase over 2017 levels. College enrollment has increased steadily over recent decades as the U.S. economy transitions away from blue-collar work toward more technical and knowledge-based industries. College enrollment also picked up when the Great Recession hit in 2007 and the labor market was flooded with college-educated workers. “We did see employers increase requirements for having a college degree when we were in the depths of the recession and there were lots of unemployed college-educated workers,” Northeastern University professor Alicia Modestino told TheWSJ. “Since then, they have decreased those requirements as the labor market has recovered.” Job openings in the U.S. hit a record high of 7.3 million in February. The U.S. labor market has continued to grow for more than 100 straight months and the unemployment rate is holding steady at 3.8 percent, which economists…

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Kansas Supreme Court Rules Bill of Rights Protects Access to Abortion for Women

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by Grace Carr   The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state constitution affords women “fundamental” access to abortion. “[T]he Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights affords protection of the right of personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one’s own body, to assert bodily integrity, and to exercise self-determination,” reads the court’s decision. “This right allows a woman to make her own decisions regarding her body, health, family formation, and family life — decisions that can include whether to continue a pregnancy.” The decision prevents the blocking of the most commonly used method for second-trimester abortions. “Although not absolute, this right is fundamental,” the ruling said. “Accordingly, the State is prohibited from restricting this right unless it is doing so to further a compelling government interest and in a way that is narrowly tailored to that interest.” A 2015 challenge to a ban on “dilation and evacuation” abortions spurred the Kansas Supreme Court to its Friday decision. Dilation and evacuation is a procedure used for second-trimester abortions when women are around 13-24 weeks pregnant. The method involves pulling apart the limbs of the fetus so they can be extracted from the womb. Only one of the state’s seven…

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Trump Tells NRA He’ll Fight for Gun Rights

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  President Donald Trump vowed to fight for gun rights as he addressed the National Rifle Association on Friday and implored members of the group — struggling to maintain its influence — to rally behind his re-election bid. Speaking to the group for his third straight year, Trump declared himself a “champion for the Second Amendment.” “It’s under assault,” he said of the constitutional right to bear arms. “But not while we’re here.” And he told the thousands in the crowd: “You better get out there and vote,” saying of the 2020 election, “It seems like it’s a long ways away. It’s not.” The nation’s largest gun rights organization was pivotal to Trump’s victory in 2016. But three years later, the group is limping toward the next election divided and diminished. It’s a reversal that has stunned longtime observers and gun control advocates and raises questions about the one-time kingmaker’s clout heading into 2020 as Trump and Vice President Mike Pence headline the group’s annual convention in Indianapolis on Friday. “I’ve never seen the NRA this vulnerable” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control measures. In the months after Trump’s election,…

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US Economic Growth Hits 3.2 Percent in 2019

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by Tim Pearce   The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019, smashing experts’ expectations, according to the Department of Commerce (DOC) data released Friday. Economists predicted that the federal government shutdown and cold weather that slowed economic activity in parts of the country early in the year would drag down growth. Experts’ predicted that the economy would grow at a much slower rate of 2.3 percent from January to March, according to Bloomberg. The U.S. economy grew at 2.2 percent growth in the final quarter of 2018, according to Commerce Department data. The 2019 growth is being driven largely by companies restocking inventories and a shrinking trade deficit with foreign countries. State and local governments’ spending also stimulated some growth, according to The Washington Post. Typically, the first quarter of the year is the one with the weakest growth, though experts are predicting that to change in 2019, WaPo reports. President Donald Trump has pledged to bring the U.S. economy to 3 percent growth rates or better. Over the course of 2018, the economy grew at an average pace of 2.9 percent, tying the highest growth rate of the Obama…

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Spring Business License Applications Set New Record in Ohio

Mitch Shirley

Spring fever has citizens eager to start new businesses all over the state. In March, Ohio citizens set a state record for new business license application filings. Last month, Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office received 13,747 new business filings, beating the previous record by 873. “It’s a significant milestone, and one that wouldn’t happen without a business environment that encourages entrepreneurs to take chances – to innovate and grow,” said LaRose. “We’re going to continue doing everything we can to empower Ohioans to succeed.” In 2015, State Sen. Larry Obhof (R-Medina) proposed a bill that would cut business filing fees by 21 percent. The bill also implemented easier online government filing systems. It passed both houses with 100 percent of the vote. There have been five records set since March 2017. Each record has surpassed the previous one by 30 to 600 filings. This past March’s filings were a 6.7 percent uptick from the previous record leaving Obhof ecstatic about the results. There are many reasons for this sudden growth. Sen. Obhof attributed much of it to “across the board income tax cuts.” “We eliminated the death tax, we had targeted tax cuts that benefited small businesses and really…

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Ohio Republican Elite Lean Left and Act Vindictively, Tea Party Members Say

Chris Butler

  Ohio Tea Party members say an elite political class of Republicans-In-Name-Only controls the state’s GOP. Any conservatives not among the establishment class Republicans are kept at a distance. Once in office, these powerful RINOs use their power and influence to penalize people who speak up against them — and this includes even the relatives of the people who don’t conform, Tea Party members said. John McAvoy, a Tea Party official in northwest Ohio, told The Ohio Star this week that this was especially true when former Republican Gov. John Kasich held office. Kasich, of course, does not hold U.S. President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, in high esteem. “If you were going to benefit from Kasich then you had to be a Never Trumper. I have had phone conversations with people when we were running state central committee candidates who told me ‘If you ever say I said this I will deny it, but I must support Kasich. The reason I must support him is because I have a brother-in-law who works for the Turnpike Commission and if I don’t support Kasich then my brother-in-law loses his job,” McAvoy said. “There were things like that. That is how the…

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Governor DeWine Announces Ohio Air Force Lab Will Be Site of Groundbreaking New Tech

Andrew Shirley

Gov. Mike DeWine, along with several other senior Ohio and military officials, announced Friday that Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport would be the test site for a new and revolutionary aviation system. DeWine was joined in his announcement by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, and Major General William Cooley, Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The new system will be run and overseen by the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center and AFRL. A press release from DeWine’s office described the new technology as follows: This month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that new technology developed in collaboration between AFRL and the State of Ohio – called SkyVision – safely, accurately, and effectively allows unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or “drones”) to detect and avoid other aircraft while in flight. Simply put, SkyVision can be described as an air traffic control system for drones. The main point of concern is that, per FAA rules, no individual or organization can operate a drone in the U.S. outside of the line of sight of the user. This study will test drones well outside of the line of sight of the user, but still within a 200-mile radius. “As…

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Ilhan Omar Speaks to Elementary and Middle School Students Behind Closed Doors

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was back in her home district Friday visiting students at elementary and middle schools throughout the area, but parents and press were allegedly not allowed to attend. On Thursday evening, ahead of Omar’s visit to St. Anthony Middle School in Minneapolis, conservative activist Alley Waterbury altered her followers on Facebook to a protest that would be occurring. “We must protect our children,” Waterbury said. “The school is asking for permission for their children to attend this event, but the parents are not allowed to attend themselves. This is a problem and no cameras.” “Lecturing our kids behind closed doors with no parents is a no go,” she later added. Waterbury and her fellow protesters contacted the school to express their concerns after Waterbury’s initial alert quickly spread on social media. “Thank you for your feedback. Congresswoman Omar serves as the U.S. Representative for the 5th Congressional District, which includes St. Anthony. We understand some members of our community did not vote for Congresswoman Omar. When our local, elected representatives reach out to learn about our schools and school district, we always open our doors,” Principal Amy Kujawski wrote to Waterbury in response. “Congresswoman Omar’s visit will…

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Ambulances Called Twice This Month Alone for Hemorrhaging Abortion Patients at Cleveland’s Preterm Clinic

Anthony Gockowski

Cleveland’s Preterm abortion clinic has had to place two 911 calls in the month of April alone after patients were bleeding “heavy” in response to abortion procedures. The incidents were exposed by Operation Rescue, who obtained the 911 recordings from both events. The first medical emergency occurred on April 5, when an ambulance, a fire unit, and five police cars responded to a 911 call from the clinic. Inside, a 31-year-old woman was hemorrhaging after her procedure and was brought out on a gurney with a sheet covering her head. One onlooker told Operation Rescue that an elevator repair service was at Preterm during the incident. Operation Rescue says that the clinic has had “chronic reliability” issues with its one elevator—the only way a gurney can access the surgical floor. Emergency records show that 37 minutes elapsed between the time of the ambulance’s arrival at Preterm and when the patient arrived at University Hospital. “We have warned of the dangers posed by this abortion facility and its unreliable elevator until we are blue in the face,” Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said in a press release. “We have urged the Ohio Department of Health to close preterm due to its…

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Sen. Young Will Serve as Keynote Speaker of Tennessee Republican Party’s Statesmen’s Dinner on June 15

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Tennessee Republican Party’s Statesmen’s Dinner. The dinner will be held Saturday, June 15 at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The dinner chairman is attorney and businessman Andy Puzder. Young is chairman of the NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee), which bills itself as “the only national organization solely devoted to strengthening the Republican Senate Majority and electing Republicans to the United States Senate.” Young, in a press release from the Tennessee Republican Party, said, “I’m looking forward to joining Tennessee Republicans at the 2019 Statesmen’s Dinner. As Democrats continue to push a radical, far-left agenda, it’s critical that we elect candidates who will safeguard our cherished freedoms and support the policies that have our economy booming. As Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, I’m looking forward to working with Tennesseans to strengthen our Republican Senate majority and protect our conservative values.” Young serves on the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance; Foreign Relations; Commerce, Science & Transportation; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship, according to his biography. He is a graduate of Annapolis and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. His private sector experience includes a former stint at…

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Bob Corker Reportedly Wants a Republican to Challenge Donald Trump in 2020

Chris Butler

  Former Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker reportedly said America will benefit if another Republican runs for president against Donald Trump next year. This, according to Breitbart.com this week. Corker reportedly said this at the Time 100 Summit in New York. “You could look at it and say that it would be a good thing for our country should that occur. If you had a real primary, where you had someone that was really being listened to, and of substance, things that we were talking about — and I could go through a list of them — they would actually be debated in a real way,” Corker reportedly said; adding that a less-challenging Republican opponent would get little media attention. Corker reportedly also said Trump divides the nation, him for the recent federal government shutdown. “Typically, to unite people, you have to wish to do so, and I think that currently, the president has not found that to his benefit or to his liking,” Breitbart quoted Corker as saying. As The Tennessee Star reported earlier this year, Corker, an avowed NeverTrump-er, “has long gone cuckoo over Trump and used his previous platform as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to criticize…

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Bill Strengthening Protections Against Female Genital Mutilation Awaits Gov. Lee’s Signature

Jason M. Reynolds

  A bill that strengthens Tennessee’s protections against female genital mutilation (FGM) is headed to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature after the Legislature approved the measure. The national EndFGMToday campaign issued a press release congratulating Tennessee lawmakers. The advocacy organization said the bill will provide additional protections for women and girls from FGM and punish the perpetrators. The bill will strengthen an already-existing law already on the books. “The mutilation of little girls’ genitals defies all standards of humanity and cries out as a hideous violation of human rights, according to the United Nations and World Health Organization,” said attorney and child welfare advocate Elizabeth Yore, who heads EndFGMToday. “The CDC estimates that 513,000 girls are at risk of female genital mutilation in the United States. Legislators in Tennessee realize this fact and are working to strengthen their laws even further to protect women and girls in their state. EndFGMToday urges Gov. Bill Lee to sign this critically important legislation as soon as possible.” State Rep. Terri Weaver (R-TN-40) was the sponsor of the House legislation, HB 1364. State Sen. Joey Hensley (R-TN-28) sponsored SB 1166 in the Senate. The tracking information is here. The bill passed unanimously in…

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Commentary: It Would Be Wrong to Impeach Donald Trump for ‘Obstructing Justice’

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by Stephen B. Presser   It is one of the puzzles of history that Republicans once sought to impeach Bill Clinton. Predictably, they failed to convict him in the Senate with the requisite two-thirds vote, and then Republicans lost the midterm elections that followed, all while President Clinton’s popularity increased dramatically. Even if the Republican effort to remove the president had succeeded, however, he simply would have been replaced by Al Gore, his vice president, and Gore probably would have been positioned to do better in his election bid than he did in his eventual match with George W. Bush in 2000. In hindsight, the impeachment of Bill Clinton looks like nothing so much as a grave political miscalculation; something Republicans never should have undertaken in the first place. Why, then, did they do it, and what does their behavior teach us that might be relevant to the current rumblings about impeaching President Trump? The Republicans moved against President Clinton because they believed that he had committed perjury and sought to obstruct justice in matters ultimately connected to the private lawsuit brought against him by Paula Jones, who had accused him, of sexual harassment, years earlier, when she had been…

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Feds Plan to Add State Rep. Dickerson to Pain Management Company Fraud Lawsuit, Reports Say

Jason M. Reynolds

  A federal judge has granted prosecutors’ requests to intervene in whistleblower complaints against Comprehensive Pain Specialists (CPS), and Tennessee Sen. Steve Dickerson (R-TN-20) is being added as a defendant, multiple media outlets report. Judge Aleta Trauger of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee granted the federal and state prosecutors’ requests, according to MSN. They have 90 days to file their own complaints. Several lawsuits filed by former employees of CPS were unsealed Tuesday, accusing the leaders, including Dickerson, of a fraud scheme, NewsChannel 5 said. They allegedly made millions of dollars in payments from Medicare and violated the False Claims Act. Suzanne Alt of Missouri is a former CMS employee who alleges in the main complaint that the company made false claims for lab tests that were not needed. The court document said she “was personally told to increase the frequency of the drug screens” that were most costly instead of a cheaper alternative. The lawsuits have been consolidated into one case, and although the main complaint does not specifically mention the lawmaker, Dickerson is named in one of the suits alongisde co-founder Dr. Peter Kroll and former CEO John Davis. On April 8,…

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Jared Kushner Wants a Tougher US Immigration System

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by Jason Hopkins   Jared Kushner developed a comprehensive immigration proposal that consists of fortifying border security and shifting U.S. immigration to a more merit-based system. Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, formulated a tactic to immigration reform, and he hopes to present a legislative form of the plan to Trump within the coming days. The package essentially takes a two-pronged approach to immigration reform. The first part of the plan tackles legal immigration into the U.S., with Kushner looking to limit the number of low-skilled migrants who enter the country based on family ties. In their place, high-skilled foreign nationals would be encouraged to join the U.S. workforce under an immigration program that is more similar to the merit-based systems seen in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, CNN reported. The second part of the proposal pertains to border security. Trump’s son-in-law hopes to build more barrier walls on the U.S. southern border in areas that see high levels of illegal immigration. He also wants to modernize ports of entry so everything coming into the country is scanned, preventing anything illegal from getting past immigration enforcement. Changes to asylum laws and seasonal guest worker programs are also included…

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Tennessee House Approves Authorization and Regulation of On-Line Sports Betting 58-37-2

Laura Baigert
Sports Book Betting

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A bill to authorize and regulate on-line sports betting in Tennessee  was approved by the Tennessee General Assembly on  Wednesday with a vote of 58 Ayes, 37 Noes and 2 Present and Not Voting. HB0001, filed on November 7, 2018, was sponsored by Knoxville Democrat Rick Staples in response to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. NCAA allowing states the ability to authorize and regulate sports betting. “The Tennessee Sports Gaming Act,” mandates that wagers on sporting events go through a licensee, which will have to pay a non-refundable application fee in the amount of $50,000 and an annual licensing fee of $750,000 as part of the application process. The bill describes a “sporting event” as any professional, collegiate or Olympic sporting or athletic event sanctioned by a national or international organization or association. It excludes horse racing, but includes “E-sports,” or any multi-player video game played competitively for spectators in person or remote connection. A “bettor” is defined as anyone 21 years or older and physically present in Tennessee when placing a wager. A tax of 22.5 percent of the adjusted gross income of the licensee will be collected as a privilege tax,…

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Ohio Attorney General Pushes to Reform Drug Pricing By Focusing on Middlemen

Andrew Shirley

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost blasted the middlemen responsible for negotiating drug prices on behalf of the state Monday, calling for immediate legislative action. The move comes a month after the state formally launched a lawsuit against the pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) responsible for the negotiations. Currently, Ohio cannot directly negotiate with major prescription drug manufacturers. The only means by which the prices of prescription drugs can be addressed in the Buckeye State is through PBMs or drug negotiators. Since they are compensated by the state, it’s expected of them to put the priority of Ohioans above all else. In June of last year, then Attorney General Mike DeWine, now governor, formally launched an investigation into the organizations, alleging that they were putting their own interests before the state. DeWine noted: Since the end of 2017, my office has been reviewing and investigating issues regarding PBMs and their contracts with Ohio agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Medicaid, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and our numerous pension systems. It is clear that the conduct by PBMs in these areas remains a major concern, and we anticipate that our investigation will result in…

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New Gallup Poll: Government and Immigration Top Voter Concerns

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by CHQ Staff   The government and immigration continue to stand apart from other issues when Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the U.S. These two issues, mentioned in an April 1-9 poll by 23 percent and 21 percent of U.S. adults, respectively, are the only ones cited by more than one in 10 Americans, as they have been for all but one of the past 13 months. Immigration scores three times higher than health care (21 percent to 7 percent) and seven times higher than Environment/Pollution/Climate change, 21 percent to 3 percent. According to Gallup’s Lydia Saad, the lone exception since April 2018 in double-digit mentions outside of government and immigration occurred last November, when 11 percent of Americans named healthcare at the same time that 18 percent mentioned government and 21 percent immigration. Today, healthcare ranks a more distant third at 7 percent, followed by race relations or racism at 6 percent. Three issues — the economy, poverty and unifying the country — tie for fifth, all mentioned by 5 percent. Another nine issues are mentioned by at least 2 percent of Americans, including the environment/pollution/climate change at 3 percent, unemployment at 2 percent,…

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US Measles Cases Hit Highest Level Since Eradication in 2000

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  The United States has confirmed 695 measles cases so far this year, the highest level since the country declared it had eliminated the virus in 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The resurgence, which public health officials blamed in part on the spread of misinformation about the safety of vaccines, has been concentrated mainly in Washington state and New York with outbreaks that began late last year. “The longer these outbreaks continue, the greater the chance measles will again get a sustained foothold in the United States,” the CDC warned in a statement. It said outbreaks can spread out of control in communities with lower-than-normal vaccination rates. Although the disease was eliminated from the country in 2000, meaning the virus was no longer continually present year round, outbreaks still happen via travelers coming from countries where measles is still common, the CDC says. As of Wednesday, the number of measles cases so far this year exceeds the 667 cases reported in all of 2014, which had been the highest annual number recorded since the elimination in 2000. The virus has been recorded in 22 states so far in 2019, the CDC said. The…

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DeWine Supports Bailout of Ohio’s Nuclear Power Plants

Anthony Gockowski

  Gov. Mike DeWine expressed support for saving Ohio’s two nuclear power plants that are expected to close if they don’t receive legislative relief. As The Ohio Star previously reported, lawmakers introduced a bill in early April that would effectively save Ohio’s only two nuclear plants. FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy, announced in February that it would be closing its two Ohio-based plants, as well as a third in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, which employs a substantial number of Ohioans. A bankruptcy judge, however, rejected the company’s plan to shut down its plants, and so lawmakers are stepping in. Under House Bill 6, the state would subsidize the plant with taxpayer dollars through a new “Ohio Clean Air Program.” As reported: These funds would be passed to the energy company under the newly created ‘Ohio Clean Air Program.’ Funding would come from a $2.50 surcharge for every residential electric consumer in the state, and an additional $20 for all commercial customers, and a further $250 from industrial customers. In total, $300 million would be raised with $180 million going directly to FirstEnergy Solutions. According to The Columbus Dispatch, DeWine supports the plan, though he didn’t directly comment on House Bill 6.…

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Pastor Darrell Scott Commentary: The Sri Lankan Victims of ISIS Terror Attacks Were Christians

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by Darrell Scott   Hundreds of Christians were slaughtered by Islamic terrorists in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday – or, as several leading Democrats put it, some people did something to “tourists and Easter worshipers.” In a different time, this characterization by Democrats would read as an obvious political hyperbole designed to spin the truth. In today’s America, however, it hardly does enough to encapsulate the left’s hatred of Christianity. As the death toll from the devastating terrorist attack continued to climb and Sri Lankan authorities worked to identify the perpetrators, Democrats were apparently struggling with a very different question – what to call the victims of this terrible massacre. “Christians” apparently wouldn’t do, presumably for the same reasons that the words “radical Islamic terrorism” have been excised from the liberal vocabulary. In short, they needed a euphemism that would enable them to express concern for the victims without drawing attention to the fact that hundreds of Christians had just been slaughtered by radical Islamic terrorists. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Julian Castro came to the rescue with a simple answer: “Easter worshipers.” “The attacks on tourists and Easter worshipers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity,” Obama wrote.…

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DNC Chair Tom Perez Claims America Is ‘At War’ With Russia and Says Trump Is ‘Compromised’

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by Nick Givas   Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said America is “at war” with Russia and claimed President Donald Trump is “compromised.” “Our fiercest foreign adversary attempted to interfere with our election to help Donald Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton,” he said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.” “We are at war right now,” Perez added. “It is a cyber war. Unfortunately, because our commander in chief is compromised, the federal government is asleep at the switch. And that is why the DNC and others in the Democratic Party ecosystem are working tirelessly to make sure that we are protecting our data. We’re working with every campaign to provide cybersecurity training because we can’t expect help from this administration.” Host Alisyn Camerota asked Perez if Democrats would use stolen information to even the score with Trump, and he said their findings would be the result of subpoenas. When Camerota followed up about possible Democratic leaks, Perez did not give a direct answer. “Maybe it’s going to be leaked. What if that’s leaked to you? Are you saying that the Democrats shouldn’t use that?” she asked. “Well, again, we are entitled to that — if you look at the law…

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Nine Radical Policies 2020 Democrats Are Putting on the Table

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by Peter Hasson   Democratic presidential candidates are increasingly embracing radical policies as they jockey for position in their party’s crowded primary. Here are nine radical policies that Democratic candidates say are on the table in 2020: Packing The Supreme Court South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke have all expressed their openness to expanding the Supreme Court, in order to counter a slim conservative majority. Left-wing activist groups have pressured Democrats to support court-packing, after they were unsuccessful in stopping Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Lowering Voting Age To 16 Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii voted for legislation in March that would have lowered the federal voting age to 16. Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker both expressed openness to lowering the voting age when asked about it by The Daily Caller News Foundation in March. Harris said she is “open to that conversation for sure,” while Booker said he hadn’t “thought about it” but was “willing to hear the case.” O’Rourke has also said he’s open to lowering the voting age.…

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Study: Nearly 100,000 Unauthorized Immigrants Graduate From US High Schools Per Year

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by Neetu Chandak   U.S. high schools are graduating nearly 100,000 unauthorized immigrants per year, according to a study released Wednesday. The Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) research found 98,000 were graduating per year in 2016, an increase from 65,000 a year in 2003. California, Texas and Florida graduated 50 percent of unauthorized immigrants. The report cites several reasons for the increase in graduates like increase in illegal immigration and policies that support unauthorized immigrants to receive higher education. Unauthorized immigrants who graduated from high school used to be eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows children of illegal immigrants to work and study in the U.S. without getting deported. Current recipients can renew the status, but the program no longer accepts new applications. “While high school graduation represents an important milestone in the lives of many young people, these graduates will be at risk of deportation and will face severely limited opportunities to pursue further work and education,” the study said. The report studied 15 to 19-year-old unauthorized immigrants who lived in the U.S. for at least five years and who reached graduation age each year. This number came out to be 125,000. Graduation rates…

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Ocasio-Cortez Took a Shot at Republicans But Ended Up Hitting Democrats Instead

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by Peter Hasson   Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday attacked a Democratic colleague in the House after apparently mistaking him for a Republican. Ocasio-Cortez took a shot at Democratic Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth on Twitter for posing next to a cardboard cutout of herself. She appeared to think Yarmuth — the chairman of the House Budget Committee — is a Republican. #ThrowbackThursday last month the socialists threatened the lone #Kentucky #Democrat in Congress if he didn't bend to their radical, extremist will: https://t.co/MdS3un7IIY looks like @AOC and #socialism are calling the shots for @KyDems now! pic.twitter.com/VIe6JWZZQy — Republican Party of Kentucky (@KYGOP) April 25, 2019 The freshman congresswoman’s swipe at Yarmuth came after the Republican Party of Kentucky tweeted a picture of Yarmuth standing next to the Ocasio-Cortez cutout. Ocasio-Cortez accused Republicans of posing “older male members next to cardboard cutouts of young female legislators,” seemingly not realizing that Yarmuth is a Democrat. Ocasio-Cortez apparently doesn't recognize Rep. John Yarmuth, the congressman in that picture. He's a Democrat. pic.twitter.com/MoXzxtX2eS — Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) April 25, 2019 Ocasio-Cortez deleted the tweet after she was mocked online for the error. It wasn’t the first time she spread misinformation…

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Tea Party and GOP Members Believe Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted Cut a Secret Deal in 2018 Election

Chris Butler

  There’s no hard evidence to back it up, but sources believe Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, both Republicans, allegedly made a secret pact during the 2018 election season to assist one another’s political fortunes. Initially, Husted ran for governor, but he later dropped out of that race to seek the lieutenant governor’s job, as DeWine’s running mate, sources told The Ohio Star. Ohio voters elected DeWine governor in 2018. “This stuff about a deal the two men made is not news,” said John McAvoy, a Tea Party official in northwest Ohio who said, at one time, he supported Husted. “People around Ohio know this. It’s common knowledge here.” This matters because some people in Ohio believe members of the state’s GOP leadership can and will exclude conservative candidates not among the state’s political elite. McAvoy, however, said he could not prove his accusations. In another part of Ohio, Ray Warrick, who chaired the Warren County Republican Party for two years, also said he and other conservatives throughout the state believe or speculate DeWine and Husted made a secret deal. “These two men actually spent the first two months of the campaign beating each other up,”…

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Boys Can Now Compete on Girls’ Dance Teams in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

  Boys can now compete on what were previously girls-only dance teams following a Tuesday settlement by the Minnesota State High School League. Dmitri Moua and Zachary Greenwald, two high school students in Minnesota, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) after they were prevented from competing on their schools’ dance teams. The two boys were represented pro bono by the Pacific Legal Foundation, who announced the settlement in a Tuesday press release. According to the non-profit, the MSHSL agreed to permanently rescind the rule that prevented boys from competing on high school dance teams, and pay for the two boys’ legal fees. “Dmitri and Zach look forward to joining their high school dance teams in the very near future, and participate in a sport they love with their friends. They are excited for this same opportunity to be available to all Minnesota high school students now and in the years to come,” the Pacific Legal Foundation said. The settlement comes after a March 6 ruling in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Moua and Greenwald. The court found that only allowing girls to participate in competitive dance teams violated…

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Gov Jared Polis Broke the Law to Bring Colorado Out of Compliance With EPA Air Rules, Lawsuit Claims

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by Michael Bastasch   Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’s attempt to put a large swath of his state out of compliance with federal air quality regulations allegedly violated the law and state constitution, according to a Tuesday lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by the pro-industry group Defend Colorado, is asking the Denver County district court to rule the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission violated the law by refusing to consider the group’s petitions to include ozone pollution resulting from international sources and “exceptional events” in its May filing with federal regulators. Failure to do so, the group argues, will take the Denver basin’s non-compliance with EPA regulations from “moderate” to “severe,” triggering more actions to reduce ozone. Those regulations could hurt Colorado’s boom oil and natural gas industry, petitioners worry. “Such a downgrade would deprive Colorado of the flexibility to improve its air quality based on the unique conditions in Colorado and the priorities of Coloradans,” reads Defend Colorado’s complaint. Defend Colorado also asked the court to rule Polis’s actions to violate the state constitution. The group filed suit Tuesday evening. The suit accuses Polis of “improperly influencing the Commission’s decision to deny Defend Colorado’s Petition” and “unilaterally and improperly withdrawing Colorado’s…

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Kasich Excited With Biden Announcement: ‘He’s Going to Hug’

Anthony Gockowski

  Former Gov. John Kasich was on CNN Wednesday to discuss former Vice President Joe Biden’s anticipated presidential bid, which was made official Thursday. “Well, listen. There will be no intimidation factor if he were to go head-to-head against Donald Trump. I think he’s rearing for this fight,” Kasich said, noting that “age means less today than it did.” “I mean, you can be older as long as you’re vigorous and you can generate some new ideas. Do I think Joe can do it? Absolutely,” he continued. “He was a vital part of the Obama administration, and he led in a number of areas when he became frustrated with the president. So, look, I know the guy really well, and he’s a lot of fun, but I got to tell you, he does talk a lot.” Kasich said that he expects Biden’s campaign will be “full of life,” and said the former vice president is “going to hug.” “He does that. He talks a lot. But, you know, he’s going to connect, and he’s going to hug, and he’s going to shake hands. You know, he’s just going to be full of life,” Kasich said. I've known @JoeBiden for many…

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Joe Biden Announces for President

Tennessee Star Staff

  Former Vice President Joe Biden announced his candidacy for president on Thursday morning in a YouTube video. His campaign tweeted this out at about 6 a.m. Thursday: The core values of this nation… our standing in the world… our very democracy…everything that has made America — America –is at stake. That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States. #Joe2020 https://t.co/jzaQbyTEz3 — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 25, 2019 You can watch the YouTube video of Biden’s announcement here:   “Former Vice President Joe Biden formally joined the crowded Democratic presidential contest on Thursday, betting that his working-class appeal and ties to Barack Obama’s presidency will help him overcome questions about his place in today’s increasingly liberal Democratic Party,” the Associated Press reported at 6 a.m. Thursday: Biden is paying special attention to Pennsylvania, a state that swung to Trump in 2016 after voting for Democratic presidential candidates for decades. The former vice president will be in the state three times within the opening weeks of his campaign. He’ll be in Philadelphia on Thursday evening headlining a fundraiser at the home of David L. Cohen, executive senior vice president of Comcast. Biden is aiming to raise…

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Payroll Deduction Bill May Provide More Access to All Groups Representing Teachers

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  Thursday morning the Tennessee Senate will consider a payroll deduction bill that will provide teachers with an option to get politics out of their paychecks. For many, it will also provide equal access to payroll deduction for dues payment for groups other than the increasingly liberal activism of the teachers’ union, the Tennessee Education Association (TEA). There are currently five active teacher associations across the state that serve educators. Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET), a non-partisan association and the TEA, a union, are the most active statewide. There is also the American Federation of Teachers, Christian Educators Association International and the American Association of Educators. In Memphis, the local-only Memphis-Shelby County Education Association represents teachers’ interests. The Memphis group broke away from the state association over philosophical differences, in a very publicized dispute. Keith Williams spoke about it in the Truth About the Tennessee Education Association. In most counties, the TEA has been the only group granted payroll deduction. Senate Bill 482, sponsored by Senator Todd Gardenhire, could level that playing field. In some states, like Texas, multiple teacher groups exist and the process for payroll deduction for dues payments is available to all such groups. These competing groups…

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Commentary: Pete Buttigieg and the Left’s False Piety

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by Matthew Boose   When South Bend, Indiana Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg accused Vice President Mike Pence of having a problem with his sexual orientation, the openly gay Episcopalian was employing a tired, but increasingly common, progressive sleight of hand. “If you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me—your quarrel, sir, is with my creator,” Buttigieg said. This was a political stunt steeped in prejudice against Pence’s religious beliefs. Of course, not only has Pence not attacked Buttigieg, but it would seem he has had nothing but nice things to say about him. Buttigieg’s “gotcha” exemplifies a common strategy of on the Left to shame others into accepting their ideas. Leftists, while loudly championing infanticide, have taken to co-opting a religion they don’t actually believe in to push their own agenda. Buttigieg’s message is predictable and banal, but it’s the kind of thing that impresses progressives who find TED talks edifying and consult “the data” to settle moral questions: Pence and all evangelicals who support Trump are hypocrites. If they were real Christians, they’d follow the Left’s interpretation of the Gospel, which is really just secular liberalism in faux-Christian garb. One…

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Driving a Tesla Results in More CO2 Than a Mercedes Diesel Car, Study Finds

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by Michael Bastasch   A Tesla Model 3 is touted as a zero-emissions car by government regulators, but it actually results in more carbon dioxide than a comparable diesel-powered car, according to a recent study. When the CO2 emissions from battery production is included, electric cars, like Teslas, are “in the best case, slightly higher than those of a diesel engine, and are otherwise much higher,” reads a release from the German think tank IFO. “It’s better read as a warning that new technologies aren’t a climate-change panacea. Recall the false promises about corn and cellulosic ethanol,” The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote of the study. Driving a Tesla Model 3 in Germany, for example, is responsible for 156 to 181 grams of CO2 per kilometer, compared to just 141 grams per kilometer for a diesel-powered Mercedes C220d — that includes emissions from producing diesel fuel. IFO looked at electric car production in Germany, which is heavily reliant on coal power. Electric car emissions in other countries depend on their energy mix, but Germany is the world’s third-largest electric car maker. China and the U.S. are the first- and second-largest electric car producers, respectively. China gets 65 percent of…

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Better Than a Direct Message: Trump Meets Twitter CEO

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  U.S. President Donald Trump met Tuesday with the top executive of Twitter, just hours after complaining the social media platform treats him unfairly. Trump, shortly after the Oval Office meeting ended with Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey, tweeted a photo of the discussion and expressed a more positive tone from his tweeted Tuesday morning complaints. The president called it a “great meeting,” saying they discussed lots of subjects regarding the platform and social media in general. Great meeting this afternoon at the @WhiteHouse with @Jack from @Twitter. Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general. Look forward to keeping an open dialogue! pic.twitter.com/QnZi579eFb — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019 “Look forward to keeping an open dialogue!” the @realDonaldTrump tweet concluded. Dorsey tweeted later Tuesday, “Thank you for the time. Twitter is here to serve the entire public conversation, and we intend to make it healthier and more civil. Thanks for the discussion about that.” Trump, as president-elect, met with executives of top technology companies in December 2016, but no one from Twitter was invited. Tuesday’s meeting between Trump and Dorsey was at the invitation of the president, according to…

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Wisconsin Gov Will Veto ‘Born Alive’ Bill Because It’s ‘Not A Productive Use Of Time’

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Tony Evers

by Grace Carr   Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vowed Monday to veto the state’s born-alive bill mandating doctors provide care to infants who survive abortion procedures, calling the legislation redundant. “We have all sorts of issues to deal with in the state of Wisconsin and to pass a bill that is redundant seems to be not a productive use of time,” Evers said in a Monday interview, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “And clearly I ran on the belief — and I still believe — that women should be able to make choices about their health care. But this deals with a specific issue that’s already been resolved,” Evers added. The proposed bill requires doctors to “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care provider would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” according to the legislation. A doctor must ensure that a child born alive is immediately taken and admitted to the hospital, under the proposal. Physicians who violate the law face fines up to $10,000 and a maximum of six years in…

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Commentary: We Need Supply Side Warrior Steve Moore on the Fed Board

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by George Rasley   In late March, and partly at the urging of Larry Kudlow, Director of President Trump’s National Economic Council, the President announced his intention to nominate our good friend Stephen Moore to one of the two open seats on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Conservatives, who believe in and support the Trump pro-growth economic agenda, were thrilled when the President announced Moore’s name – establishment “Wall Street before Main Street” types, not so much. The announcement prompted protests from economists across the ideological spectrum, reported Politico’s Ben Schreckinger, with George W. Bush’s top economist, Harvard’s Gregory Mankiw, saying Moore lacked the “intellectual gravitas” for the job and warning that appointing Moore, a think-tanker with no Ph.D., would politicize the Fed. Like appointing Janet Yellen to maintain near negative interest rates to prop-up Obama wasn’t political? To claim that Moore, who has served as top economist at the Heritage Foundation and a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, lacks intellectual gravitas is about the crassest exhibition of elitism we’ve seen in a long time and comes from the same place that spawned the Kevin D. Williamson article we dismembered back in 2016. And, as Mr.…

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Mexican Military Now Patrolling North of the Border, US Sovereignty Violated Repeatedly

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by CHQ Staff   Our friend Daniel Horowitz of Conservative Review alerted us to this astonishing incident and prompted our further investigation. On April 13, at around 2 p.m. Central Time, a group of five or six suspected Mexican soldiers approached an unmarked vehicle of two U.S. soldiers stationed at the border in El Paso County, Texas, and ordered them out of the vehicle. According to Newsweek, which obtained the “serious incident report,” the soldiers were in fact active duty members of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, not from a National Guard unit. The Mexican soldiers disarmed one of the U.S. soldiers and placed his sidearm in the U.S. vehicle. While the soldiers were parked south of the border fence near Clint, Texas, they were north of the Rio Grande riverbed, which placed them “appropriately in U.S. territory,” according to Maj. Mark Lazane, a spokesman for NORTHCOM. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Defense (DOD), after inquiring of the Mexican government, were informed that the Mexican soldiers thought that the Americans were south of the border. “Throughout the incident, the U.S. soldiers followed all established procedures and protocols,” according to NORTHCOM. Horowitz says NORTHCOM…

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Expert: Lamar Alexander ‘Betrays Taxpayers’ Fighting for More Electric Vehicle Tax Credits

Chris Butler

  U.S. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee defends fighting for more tax credits for electric vehicles, even as an expert with a Virginia-based think tank says this act “betrays taxpayers.” As The Tennessee Star reported this month, Alexander is co-sponsoring a bill that would extend tax credits for electric car manufacturers. This, despite Republican U.S. President Donald Trump wanting to do away with them. In an emailed statement to The Star Wednesday, Alexander was unwavering in his commitment. “Ten years ago, there were no mass produced electric cars on U.S. highways and, today, there are about one million automakers planning to make millions more,” Alexander said. “The all-electric Nissan Leaf that I bought in 2011 had a hard time getting me from the Capitol to Dulles airport and back. Its real range was about 70 miles. Today’s Nissan Leaf can travel 226 miles on one charge. Investing in American research and technology for better electric vehicles is one way to help our country and the world deal with climate change. I’m glad to cosponsor this important legislation, which will encourage even more production of electric vehicles, create good jobs and boost the economy.” In a new column, Veronique de…

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Google Engineer Who Called Marsha Blackburn a Terrorist Reportedly Belongs to Cult Led by Former Porn Star

Chris Butler

  The Google engineer who last year described U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn as a terrorist is part of a cult under the tutelage of a former porn star, according to this week’s Daily Caller. As The Tennessee Star reported last year, Blake Lemoine, a senior software engineer at Google, has a real beef with Blackburn. As The Daily Caller reported, Lemoine is a priest at the Church of Our Lady Magdalene. “The Church of Our Lady Magdalene has since changed its name to the Cult of Our Lady Magdalene, according to their website. Lemoine signed his Medium post with the title, ‘Priest of the Church of Our Lady Magdalene,’” the website reported. “One of the other leaders of the cult is High Priestess Kitty Stryker, who describes herself as ‘an active member of the genderqueer feminist art collective, the NorCal Degenerates’ and, in messages with the Daily Caller, as an ‘ex-sex worker’ who has performed in several pornographic movies.” The Degenderettes, The Daily Caller went on to report, are responsible for an art exhibition that included axes, baseball bats covered in barbed wire, and riot shields with the slogan, ‘Die Cis Scum.’” The website went on to say the cult’s beliefs influenced…

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Change.org Suppresses Jewish Watchdog’s Petition Questioning Loyalty of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib

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by Peter Hasson   Change.org is suppressing an inflammatory petition from a Jewish watchdog group demanding a federal investigation into the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Though the petition didn’t violate Change.org’s terms, the platform took steps to restrict its “discovery on our platform,” Change.org told StopAntisemitism.org, the watchdog group, in an email shared with The Daily Caller News Foundation. The petition is hidden from users who search for it on the platform. The petition, which had more than 32,000 signatures by Tuesday evening, accuses CAIR, a Muslim activist group, of being “an American front group for the Hamas terrorist organization.” The petition also challenges Omar and Tlaib’s loyalties to America. Both congresswomen previously leveled the same charge against supporters of Israel. “There’s no doubt that Tlaib and Omar have close-knit ties with Hamas affiliated CAIR and we, as concerned citizens, call on Attorney General and U.S. Special Envoy for Anti-Semitism to investigate these ties,” the petition states. Omar and Tlaib both spoke at CAIR fundraisers this year. Omar stirred controversy with remarks she made about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while speaking at a CAIR event…

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Trump Throws Threat to Congress If It Moves to Impeach

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by Henry Rodgers   President Donald Trump threatened Congress over impeachment Wednesday morning saying he would immediately head to the Supreme Court and alleging that the Democrats were the ones who committed crimes. Trump mentioned special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which found no collusion or obstruction by the president, saying the report was written by “Angry Democrats and Trump Haters” and that he “DID NOTHING WRONG,” in a pair of tweets Wednesday morning. The Mueller Report, despite being written by Angry Democrats and Trump Haters, and with unlimited money behind it ($35,000,000), didn’t lay a glove on me. I DID NOTHING WRONG. If the partisan Dems ever tried to Impeach, I would first head to the U.S. Supreme Court. Not only…… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2019 Trump also mentioned there were no “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” and that all of the crimes that were committed were done by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and “Dirty Cops.” The president also said Republicans “won” after the Mueller report was released and that Democrats are looking at Congress “as last hope!” …..are there no “High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” there are no Crimes by me at all.…

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Watchdog Says Bank of America Has Hosted Consecutive Fundraising Galas For Planned Parenthood

Jason M. Reynolds

  Archived webpages show Bank of America sponsored consecutive annual fundraising galas for Planned Parenthood of New York City, according to a press release by 2ndVote. The archives are available here. Conservative watchdog organization 2ndVote published an online announcement for Planned Parenthood of New York City’s May 2, 2017, centennial gala. That form listed Bank of America as a “corporate sponsor.” The event was billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime gala to benefit Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood of New York City.” Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was presented with the Champion of the Century Award at the gala. One year later, a similar announcement for Planned Parenthood of New York City’s “Spring Into Action Gala” on May 1, 2018, listed Bank of America as a “bronze sponsor.” 2ndVote also posted IRS Form 990 filings by Bank of America Charitable Foundation that show donations to multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates. In 2017, the foundation distributed over $50,000 to these organizations. The Form 990 filings are available here. In addition, 2ndVote released a copy of a letter from Bank of America Charitable Foundation President Kerry Sullivan from Feb. 5, 2019. The letter reads, “Bank of America does not make any direct…

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Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule Barring Abortion Organizations From Receiving Title X Funds

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by Grace Carr   A federal judge late Tuesday blocked enforcement of a Trump administration rule barring health care organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals from receiving Title X funding. U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane granted a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the Trump administration’s Feb. 22 rule prohibiting Title X funds from supporting programs and organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals, The Oregonian reported. McShane called the rule a “ham-fisted approach to public health policy,” according to the Oregonian. 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 move meant to force Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics to separate health services such as cancer screenings, pap smears and breast exams from their abortion services. Title X grant recipients were already banned from conducting abortions with these federal funds prior to the ruling. 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 rule mandates clinics report cases of rape, incest and human trafficking, as federal law…

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US ‘Aggressively’ Building Trump’s Border Wall, DHS Chief Says

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by Jason Hopkins   The acting secretary of Homeland Security pushed back on the narrative that President Donald Trump’s border wall is not being built, pointing out that construction has actually been going at an aggressive pace. “So normally for a federal project of this scope, from the time you get funded to starting, it’s over two years,” Kevin McAleenan said Tuesday on Fox News. “We’ve already built the [fiscal year] 2017 funding in less than two years. That shows how aggressively we’re moving out on this.” McAleenan — who became acting DHS secretary earlier in April after Kirstjen Nielsen resigned — has been tapped by the Trump administration to lead the agency at a time when the U.S. southern border is experiencing record numbers of illegal migrants, many of them Central American families. Trump has been forced to fight tooth-and-nail with congressional Democrats over border wall funding. The federal government experienced its longest shutdown in U.S. history as the two camps fought over how much money could be appropriated for wall construction. The White House is being sued after it declared a national emergency on the southern border, allowing it to allocate billions more in funding. The new DHS…

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