Day: May 22, 2019

Blackburn Joins Three Other Republican Senators in Introducing Act to Prevent Immigrant Children from Being Trafficked at Southern Border

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and three other Republican senators on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. Blackburn announced she was working with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). The bill, S. 1561, is also known as the Accountability for Care of Unaccompanied Alien Children Act to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. Blackburn tweeted, “Today, @ChuckGrassley, @SenTomCotton & @HawleyMO and I introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. This is a critical step we must take to secure our country and protect those who are being taken advantage of by criminals.” Today, @ChuckGrassley, @SenTomCotton & @HawleyMO and I introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. This is a critical step we must take to secure our country and protect those who are being taken advantage of by criminals. pic.twitter.com/oRCJzZwQIt — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 21, 2019 At a 2018 Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing, Blackburn said, a Department of Health and Human Services official admitted the agency lost track of nearly 1,500 unaccompanied minors after their release from federal custody…

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Commentary: Justin Amash Is Condoning the FISA Spying by Calling for Trump’s Impeachment

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by Robert Romano   U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on May 18 called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in a Twitter thread, accusing him of committing obstruction of justice and “conduct that violates the public trust,” citing the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as justification. Nowhere in the Twitter thread did Amash make a specific allegation of which conduct by President Trump he was referring to that obstructed justice or violated the public trust — although he said there were “multiple examples”. In May 2017, Amash did indicate that President Trump firing former FBI Director James Comey could be a basis for impeachment, a topic the Mueller report does consider, so let’s assume for the purposes of this discussion that in part that is what he’s talking about. Critically, nowhere in the Twitter thread did Amash mention Russia or the fact that the Mueller report had found no coordination or conspiracy with Russia by President Trump, his campaign or any American for that matter to interfere in the 2016 elections. Mueller stated in the report, “[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference…

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‘Take Care of Our Own First:’ Carson Defends Plan to Evict Illegals from Government Housing

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by Jason Hopkins   Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson pushed back against a bevy of criticism from Democratic lawmakers over a White House proposal that would exclude all illegal immigrants from public housing. Carson testified in the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday to discuss a range of topics. Numerous Democrats attacked the Republican for his involvement in a plan that, according to a recent HUD study, could potentially kick as many as 55,000 legal children out of their homes. “The Trump Administration’s proposal puts mixed-status families at risk of being evicted, separated, and left homeless,” committee chairwoman Maxine Waters said during the hearing. The California Democrat went on to call the plan a “cruel proposal.” “The ‘D’ in HUD does not stand for ‘deportation,’” said Democratic New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney. “We cannot create affordable housing for Americans by throwing other Americans out in the street with no place to go.” Other Democrats made similar comments throughout the hearing. The criticism follows moves by the Trump administration to restrict who can qualify for housing assistance. While illegal immigrants are already barred from receiving federal housing subsidies, families of mixed-immigration status can score these benefits as long…

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Members of Williamson County Group Question Whether School Board Members Should Hire Jason Golden

Chris Butler

  A group of Williamson County parents came forward Tuesday to question why their local school board members are considering hiring a man with no formal education experience to replace Mike Looney as superintendent. This, one day after board members unanimously voted to enter formal negotiations with Jason Golden to take over at an annual salary of $250,000. Members of the Williamson County-based group Parents Want Facts are unhappy. “Mr. Golden has no classroom experience, or educational training whatsoever.  He does not possess a Masters or Doctorate in Education.  He has never even spent a day (as a) substitute teacher to anyone’s knowledge.  Many school board members have acknowledged his shortcomings and have stated that he will have a quality team around him to provide support in these deficient areas (an admission he is not wholly qualified),” members said in a press release Tuesday. The parents said their concerns about Golden are not personal. “One of the reasons cited by those in power, is that he is the obvious choice because of the enormous amount of educational time lost if someone else were considered or hired.  Funny, nobody in Fulton County, where Looney is heading thought educational time would be lost…

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House Freedom Caucus Condemns Rep Justin Amash After Impeachment Stance

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by Evie Fordham   The conservative House Freedom Caucus condemned member Republican Michigan Rep. Justin Amash Monday after his Saturday comments that President Donald Trump “engaged in impeachable conduct.” Every caucus member at the meeting Monday opposed Amash’s impeachment stance, Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said, according to Politico. Amash was not at the meeting and has shown up for virtually no meetings the entire year, sources told Politico. “It was every single person who totally disagrees with what he says,” Jordan said after the meeting, according to Politico. Jordan also said he had talked to Amash Saturday night to ask, “What are you doing?” But Amash is still set to keep his membership in the Freedom Caucus even though he threatened to leave in 2018 after Trump went on the warpath against former Republican South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, reported Politico. Sanford is an ex-member of the caucus. The Freedom Caucus vote could be just the beginning of Amash’s troubles. Republican state Rep. Jim Lower will challenge Amash for the seat in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, Lower told the Detroit Free Press Monday. Amash broke with his party to criticize Trump’s conduct and accuse Attorney General William Barr of…

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Almost 100,000 Coal Miners at Risk of Losing All or Part of Pension by 2022

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  More than 85,000 coal miner retirees and 20,000 working miners are at risk of losing all or part of their pension by 2022 if more coal companies declare bankruptcy. Within the next four years, a handful of major coal-fired power plants in the Ohio Valley are expected to shut down. The Conesville coal generation facility in Ohio, and the Elmer Smith Plant and EW Brown Plant in Kentucky are both expected to close in 2020. In 2021, the Bruce Mansfield plant in Pennsylvania will close as well as the W.H. Sammis Power Plant in Ohio in 2022. The Pleasants Power Station in West Virginia, originally expected to close this year, will remain open until 2022, according to FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young. “In April 2018, FirstEnergy announced that it had reached an agreement in principle to transfer ownership of Pleasants Power Station to creditors in the bankruptcy of [First Energy Solutions] and its subsidiaries, and [FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company],” Young said. “The agreement was approved by the bankruptcy court in late September. The settlement agreement was intended to fully release FirstEnergy and related parties from all claims.” The fate of coal miners’ pensions have been in the balance since the…

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Ilhan Omar Promotes Al Jazeera+ One Day After Its Holocaust Denial Video

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by Luke Rosiak   Two days after the AJ+ television network published a video questioning the Holocaust, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar repeatedly gave the network a boost. On May 18, AJ+ Arabic posted a seven-minute video to social media with the caption “The gas chambers killed millions of Jews … So the story says. How true is the #Holocaust and how did the Zionists benefit from it?” The Jews “exploited the Holocaust for their agenda and made the whole world focus on their murders and forget the other victims.” “People are divided between those who deny the annihilation, others who think that the outcome was exaggerated, and others yet who accuse the Zionist movement of blowing it out of proportion,” it said. On May 20, Omar — who has repeatedly been accused of anti-Semitism — retweeted someone saying “<3 @ajplus.” That same day, she shared an AJ+ story, saying that “we have a duty to confront hate and bigotry whenever we see it.” Omar’s spokesman Jeremy Slevin did not respond to a request from The Daily Caller News Foundation asking about what steps, if any, Omar took to “call out hate and bigotry” in regards to the Holocaust video.…

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Mueller Reportedly Reluctant to Testify Publicly About Russia Probe

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by Chuck Ross   Special counsel Robert Mueller’s negotiations with House Democrats over his public testimony have reportedly hit a roadblock. CNN reports that Mueller is reluctant to testify publicly about the Russia investigation for fear of being seen as too political. The Washington Post is reporting that Mueller and Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have been unable to agree how much of the testimony would be done in public. According to The Post, Mueller wants to testify privately about topics that aren’t laid out in the lightly redacted special counsel’s report. Democrats hope to get Mueller to say whether President Donald Trump would face charges of obstruction of justice if he were not president. They also want Mueller to discuss his interactions with Attorney General William Barr regarding the investigation, as well as the release of the report. The report was less definitive on the issue of whether Trump attempted to obstruct the Russia probe. The report laid out 10 separate incidents that were investigated for possible obstruction, including Trump’s firing on May 9, 2017 of James Comey as FBI director. Mueller declined to make a decision on whether to recommend obstruction charges. That left the decision up…

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States, Cities Sue to Block Health Care ‘Conscience’ Rule

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  A coalition of 23 U.S. states and municipalities sued the Trump administration Tuesday to stop it from enforcing a rule that would make it easier for doctors and nurses to avoid performing abortions on religious or moral grounds. The lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James said the expanded “conscience” protections could undermine the ability of states and cities to provide effective health care without jeopardizing billions of dollars a year in federal aid. It also said the rule would upset legislative efforts to accommodate workers’ beliefs while ensuring that hospitals, other businesses and staff treat patients effectively. Sterilizations and assisted suicide are among other medical procedures that might be affected, according to the complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan. “The federal government is giving health care providers free license to openly discriminate and refuse care to patients,” James said in a statement. The rule is scheduled to take effect July 22. It will be enforced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The rule gives life and enforcement tools to conscience protection laws that have been on the books for decades. HHS finalized the conscience rule after more than a year of careful…

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California Considers Spending Billions on Health Care for Illegal Immigrants

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by Jason Hopkins   California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan for government-funded health care for illegal immigrants is frugal compared to proposals by other Democratic leaders in his state. Newsom, the progressive first-term governor of California and ardent opponent of the Trump administration, wants to offer free health care services to low-income illegal migrants between the ages of 19 and 25. The plan is estimated to cost the state $98 million a year to operate. “Young people feel the crunch of the cost crisis acutely — from high rents and student debt. Health care shouldn’t be one more worry,” Newsom said in a press release. “We are helping young adults when they come off their parents’ plan and assisting those who may not be able to join onto a parents’ insurance policy.” Despite the nearly $100 million annual price tag, Newsom’s plan appears conservative when contrasted with the options being touted in the California state capitol. A bill in the state Senate calls for not only 19- to 25-year-olds, but also those 65 years and older to qualify for free health care. The author of the bill argues California’s budget could easily afford the burden. In the state Assembly, there is…

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Commentary: That Poll on Socialism Is Not as Alarming as It Seems

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by Jeffrey A. Tucker   Every poll needs a headline takeaway. This one was a heck of a thing to wake up to: “Four in 10 Americans Embrace Some Form of Socialism.” The poll comes from Gallup. It compares attitudes toward socialism today in the U.S. with a similar poll in 1942. Back 77 years ago, 25 percent of Americans believed that socialism would be a good thing for the country. Yes, that should have fallen to zero by now. And yet, this latest poll has 43 percent of Americans claiming that socialism would be good for the country, while 51 percent think it would be bad. That anti-socialist majority is alarmingly thin. When I saw this, my stomach sank. Seems like everything is getting worse! Then I saw a meme online that explained that many millennials think that socialism means the view that you like using social media. It’s a funny joke… maybe. Language is malleable and retaught in every generation. The word “liberal” keeps migrating to mean different things, so it is not entirely crazy that the word “socialism” too would take on a completely different meaning too. But we don’t have to speculate about this. Once you…

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Ohio Cities Partake in Pro-Abortion ‘Stop the Bans’ Protests

Anthony Gockowski

  Pro-abortion activists across the country organized “Stop the Bans” rallies on Tuesday, several of which occurred in Ohio. In Columbus, protesters lined the streets outside of Gov. Mike DeWine’s office, chanting: “Keep abortions safe and legal!” Several protesting outside the governor’s office for the ‘Stop the Ban’ protest pic.twitter.com/kda5faqQpl — Alexis Moberger (@alexis_moberger) May 21, 2019 The crowd later made its way to the Ohio Statehouse, where not too long ago a controversial “heartbeat bill” threw Ohio into the national conversation surrounding abortion. Crowd continues to grow! Protest has now moved to the statehouse. Dozens here to protest against Ohio’s heartbeat bill. Similar abortion protests happening in several cities across the country pic.twitter.com/pQPBw8RbS3 — Alexis Moberger (@alexis_moberger) May 21, 2019 “It’s really important that women have the freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies,” one protester told ABC 6. “I hope that Governor DeWine is paying attention to this because women are his constituents too and he can’t ignore us.” In Dayton, protesters gathered outside of a Premier Health clinic, which has apparently refused to sign a transfer agreement with a nearby abortion clinic. “We are here today because so far Premier Health has refused to…

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Shaker Heights Ohio Considers Passing a LGBTQ Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Zachery Schmidt

  The U.S. House of Representatives passed its controversial Equality Act last week, and now a local city council in Ohio is looking to follow suit. Shaker Heights City Council is considering legislation that would create a new chapter in the city code, Chapter 516, which would protect the LGBTQ community against discrimination in the areas of employment and public accommodations. The City Council first discussed the legislation during a May 13 work session. Shaker Heights implemented a Fair Housing Act in 1992 to prohibit discrimination based on race, color and religion. The city amended its Fair Housing Act in 2006 to include “sexual orientation and gender identity,” according to the new anti-discrimination ordinance. Cuyahoga County, where Shaker Heights is located, already passed an ordinance in 2018 that made it illegal “to discriminate in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations.” The new Shaker Heights ordinance, like the Cuyahoga County ordinance, seeks to explicitly extend protections to the areas of employment and public accommodations, although it’s unclear what, if any, additional protections the town ordinance would provide that aren’t already covered in the county ordinance. “In Ohio, it’s still legal to fire people or deny them housing simply because they…

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Minnesota GOP House Leader Calls 2019 Session ‘Least Productive’ and ‘Least Transparent’ in History

Anthony Gockowski

  House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) had some harsh words for his Democratic colleagues in the Minnesota House after the 2019 legislative session came to an official close Monday at midnight. Party leaders and Gov. Tim Walz agreed on a $48.3 billion biennial budget on Sunday, giving lawmakers hardly a day to wrap things up. By Monday’s midnight deadline, the Minnesota House and Senate had sent just one major budget bill to Walz’s desk—a higher education finance bill. A special session is inevitable, but nobody seems to know exactly when it will start or how long it will take. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) has been telling reporters that he hopes to have a special session on Thursday and possibly Friday, before Memorial Day weekend. Just ran into Sen Gazelka, he says he’s still feeling good about a Thursday/Friday special session #mnleg @TPT #tptAlmanac — Mary Lahammer (@mlahammer) May 21, 2019 One thing is for sure: Daudt was not pleased with how the 2019 session transpired. “This has been the least productive, least transparent session in the history of this state. Minnesotans should be ashamed of the process at the end of this legislative session. They passed one…

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Despite Resignation of Glen Casada, Tennessee Democrats Still Want GOP Blood

Chris Butler

  Democrats and other leftists took to Twitter Tuesday to let the world know they feel empowered and want as many Republican scalps as they can collect. This, on the same day Glen Casada announced he would step down as Tennessee speaker of the house. Some of these people seemed to suggest this wasn’t just about politics or matters or law. This was personal. One poster, for instance, seemed to call on all Tennessee Democrats to act out violently against Casada, while another poster seemed to suggest Casada do the noble thing and commit suicide. As reported, members of the mainstream media published Casada’s tawdry and offensive — yet private — text messages. Holly McCall, who ran unsuccessfully against Mary Mancini for Tennessee Democratic Party chair, said her animus against Casada was political — and also personal. “So here’s the rub: If @GlenCasada stays in his HD 63 seat until November, the GOP can appoint someone to fill in. That person then is the incumbent in the 2020 election – also a presidential year – making it even harder for a Dem to win,” McCall wrote. McCall went on to say that “if Casada leaves the legislature before November 2019,…

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