Day: January 15, 2021

Tennessee Principal on Administrative Leave for Warning Students About Social Media Censorship

Corinne Murdock

A Tennessee principal was placed on paid administrative leave after warning students about the dangers of social media censorship. Principal Barton Thorne recorded a homeroom video on Monday, reportedly sharing his thoughts via the Shelby County Schools (SCS) virtual learning platform to address several Big Tech companies’ recent decisions to censor various individuals and platforms.

In a recording of the video since deleted from YouTube, Thorne emphasized the need to allow for free speech and a “marketplace of ideas.” He condemned the Capitol Hill riot and stated that his statements had nothing to do with President Donald Trump.

Read the full story

Commentary: Impeachment Is Not Just About Removing President Trump – It’s About Canceling You

Admin

The House has voted to once again impeach President Donald Trump, charging him with incitement of insurrection. The single article of impeachment states the President “willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — lawless action at the Capitol.”

President Trump did nothing of the sort, but the facts do not matter to the House.

Read the full story

Cotton, Senators Demand SBA Stop Planned Parenthood’s ‘Naked Attempts to Defraud’ Government Through PPP Loans

Admin

Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton is leading lawmakers in calling on the Small Business Administration (SBA) to investigate alleged illegal loans distributed to Planned Parenthood affiliates, according to a letter exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Planned Parenthood affiliates are well aware that they are ineligible to receive PPP loans, on the basis of SBA’s letters and the frank admission of their political action committee” the senators wrote in a Thursday letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “Their attempts to apply for PPP loans are naked attempts to defraud the United States government.”

Read the full story

MIT Professor Who Received $19 Million in Federal Grants Is Charged Over Undisclosed Ties to China

Admin

A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has received nearly $20 million in grants from the Department of Energy was arrested Thursday on charges that he failed to disclose ties to the People’s Republic of China.

According to prosecutors, Gang Chen, a mechanical engineering professor at MIT, has held various positions on behalf of the PRC aimed at promoting China’s technological and scientific capabilities.

Read the full story

Commentary: Her Vote to Impeach Imperils Liz Cheney’s GOP Leadership Role

Admin

Among the 232 votes in the House of Representatives to impeach Donald Trump a second time were 10 cast by Republicans — and now the GOP has a messy church fight on its hands. That’s  because one of the 10 breaking ranks was Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who chairs the GOP conference. The immediate question for House Republicans is whether Cheney should remain in that post after voting to impeach Trump. But this is a proxy fight. The broader question is whether Trump populism ought to remain Republican Party orthodoxy.

Read the full story

New Jobless Claims Spike to 965,000, Economists Expected 800,000

Admin

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 965,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) figure released Thursday represented a increase in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Jan. 9, in which there were 787,000 new jobless claims reported. Roughly 18.4 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits, according to the BLS report Thursday.

Read the full story

Young Americans for Liberty Fires President Amid Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

Admin

The Young Americans for Liberty announced Wednesday that the organization has terminated its former President Cliff Maloney “effective immediately” following allegations of sexual misconduct.

“Losing the confidence of the board, YAL staff, and key stakeholders makes the ability to lead impossible and this action necessary,” the organization said in a statement.

Read the full story

Woman Charged for Plans to Smuggle Chinese Nationals into U.S. for Financial Gain

Admin

A Nevada woman was arrested and charged in connection with a scheme spanning several years to commit fraud and launder money to smuggle Chinese nationals into the U.S, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Haiyan Liao, 43, was charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, money laundering conspiracy and to illegally smuggle Chinese nationals into the U.S. for financial gain, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Read the full story

Martha Boneta Commentary: Beginning to Look Like Time to Invent Another Internet

Admin

Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the Internet, says he is fed up with what it has become and he’s taking action to fix it.  

He has expressed frustration for years with how major corporations have taken what was supposed to a free environment and restricted in a variety of ways. He doesn’t like the way Facebook, Google and Amazon have centralized it and he especially doesn’t like how they control the data of almost all Americans.  

Read the full story

Virginia Democratic Senators File Resolution to Censure Amanda Chase

Jacob Taylor

Virginia Senate Democrats filed a resolution on Wednesday to censure GOP gubernatorial candidate and Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) for addressing a crowd and urging action to overturn the 2020 presidential election hours before the Capitol riots in Washington D.C.

The resolution, introduced by Sen. John Bell (D-Loudoun) and co-sponsored by nine other Senate Democrats, formally accuses Chase of “fomenting insurrection against the United States.”

Read the full story

Brian Kemp Tells Georgia Legislators to Move Past 2020 and Focus on COVID-19 During State of State Address

Chris Butler

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp delivered an optimistic State of the State address Thursday and proposed what he said were new ways for state officials to invest taxpayer money to counteract the effects of COVID-19. At one point in his speech, the governor apparently referred to the November 2020 elections and alleged voter fraud and other voter irregularities.

Read the full story

Tim Anderson Sues Virginia Governor Over Senate District Special Election

Jacob Taylor

Prominent Virginia Beach attorney and House of Delegates candidate Tim Anderson filed a lawsuit against Governor Ralph Northam (D) on Wednesday over the 38th Senatorial District special election set for later this year. 

The 38th District was previously occupied by the late Senator Ben Chafin, who died of COVID-19 complications at the beginning of the year, and on Tuesday Northam issued a March 23rd, 2021, date for the election to determine a replacement.

Read the full story

Exclusive: Republican Peter Meijer Draws Primary Opponent Day After Voting to Impeach Trump

Peter D'Abrosca

Republican Tom Norton told The Michigan Star exclusively Thursday that he intends to run against Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI-03) in the state’s 2022 primary elections, just hours after Meijer cast his vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump. 

“I have decided to re-launch our campaign for U.S Congress in Michigan’s Third District,” Norton said. “This campaign is not about Trump. This is about the establishment thinking that America is beaten and lost. We need to fight, we need to group together, and never surrender.”

Read the full story

Two Michigan House Republicans Vote to Impeach President Trump

Peter D'Abrosca

Two members of the U.S. House from Michigan voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald J. Trump over allegations that he “incited an insurrection” at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. last week.

“I was in the House chamber when it was being attacked a week ago today. That was a moment that called for leadership. I was hoping to see the President rapidly try to de-escalate, try to denounce, try to stop the violence from occurring, and he abandoned his post,” freshman Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI-03) told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, explaining his vote in favor of impeachment. 

Read the full story

Democrats Pressure Virginia Delegate LaRock to Resign for Questioning Election Results

Eric Burk

Delegate Dave LaRock (R-Hamilton) is under fire from Democrats after he called for Vice President Pence to nullify the 2020 General Election and attended the January 6 pro-Trump rally that turned violent. Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall, the Loudoun chapter of the NAACP, and three northern Virginia Democratic chapters are among those demanding LaRock’s resignation. LaRock is one of the last Republican delegates in Northern Virginia.

Read the full story

Georgia State Representative Kendrick Introduces Bills to ‘Promote Black Wealth’

Corinne Murdock

State Representative Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia) introduced five bills that are aimed at increasing “Black wealth.” The bills propose racial compositions on Georgia corporations receiving state tax credits; reinstatement of the “Angel Investor” tax credit and qualifying historically Black colleges and universities (HCBU) as eligible; tax credits for HBCU entrepreneurship programs; racially diversify all boards, commissions, councils, or committees to reflect the state’s demographics; and annual reports on wealth within certain demographics.

In a press release, Kendrick claimed that Black communities are systemically marginalized within the economy. She added that the pandemic has only compounded the matter.

Read the full story

Commentary: Virginia Governor Flouts Law, Leaves GOP Senate Seat Vacant to Ensure Unchecked Progressive Dominance

Admin

Virginia’s state senate had a narrow Democratic majority, with 21 Democrats and 19 Republicans. Then, on Jan. 1, Republican State Senator Ben Chafin died. Virginia’s Democratic governor deliberately delayed filling the seat, so that progressive bills will be able to pass the state legislature more easily, and without being moderated by the amendment process.

Read the full story

Ohio Gov. DeWine Says the Capitol Will be Closed for Four Days Next Week for the Inauguration

Jack Windsor

Gov. Mike DeWine held a briefing Thursday morning where he announced the Ohio Statehouse and government buildings in Columbus will be closed between January 17 and January 20. Next Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president.

Also, the governor signed a proclamation mobilizing hundreds of Ohio National Guard members to be utilized as needed in Columbus and around Ohio. To assist federal authorities in D.C. DeWine, ordered 580 ONG members active earlier in the week.

Read the full story