Month: February 2021

New Federal Rule: No More Surprise Hospital Bills and More Options for Consumers

The Center Square

Hospitals have begun publishing their actual costs of services, including discounted cash and negotiated rates as a result of a rule change implemented by former President Donald Trump. The rule was challenged by the American Hospital Association and others, who lost in federal district court.

An appeal to the court ruling has not yet been filed. While the association says it is calling on the new administration to adjust the rule, hospitals in the meantime must publish prices for the majority of the services and medications they provide.

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New Jobless Claims Decrease to 779,000, Economists Expected 830,000

Admin

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 779,000 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 decrease in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Jan. 23, in which there were 847,000 new jobless claims reported. Roughly 17.8 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits, according to the BLS report Thursday.

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Top DOJ Official’s Connection to Hunter Biden’s Lawyer Will Test Biden’s Commitment to Ethics, Expert Says

Admin

President Joe Biden’s commitment to ethics will be put to the test in how his Justice Department handles the connection one of its top officials shares with Hunter Biden’s lawyer, a government ethics expert told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Chris Clark, a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins, is assisting Hunter Biden with the federal criminal investigation into his foreign business dealings. Clark had worked closely at the law firm with Nicholas McQuaid until the latter’s departure from the firm on Jan. 20 to lead the Justice Department criminal division, which is reportedly involved with the Hunter Biden investigation.

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With New Administration, Record Number of People Bought Guns in January

The Center Square

Concerns about President Joe Biden’s potential restrictions on firearm purchases sent sales soaring in January, industry insiders said. More than 4.3 million people purchased guns in the first month of 2021, the highest number on record.

The 4.3 million purchases represent legal applications through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS); it excludes illegally purchased firearms.

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Biden DOJ Drops Yale Discrimination Lawsuit

Admin

The Department of Justice (DOJ), now under the control of the Biden Administration, has dropped a longstanding discrimination lawsuit against Yale University, as reported by ABC News.

The DOJ informed the district court in Connecticut on Wednesday that it was voluntarily dropping the suit, which was originally filed in October of 2020 after a two-year investigation by the Trump-era DOJ determined that Yale was discriminating against White and Asian applicants based solely on their race. Such racial discrimination was found to be in violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, by “subjecting domestic, non-transfer Asian and White applicants…to unlawful discrimination on the ground of race.”

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Belmont University Announces New President: Duke Divinity Dean Dr. Greg Jones

Corinne Murdock

Belmont University has officially selected its new president: Dr. L. Gregory Jones, the previous dean of Duke Divinity School. The university’s current president, Dr. Bob Fisher, is expected to retire in May. Fisher will have served for about 21 years.

Jones will be assuming control over a fast-growing university that faced several pandemic-shaped bumps. These included a slight increase in student tuition costs and the staggered distance and in-person learning modules. 

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Virginia Senate Passes Bill to Abolish Death Penalty

Peter D'Abrosca

Virginia is one step closer to abolishing the death penalty after a bill to do so passed the Senate Thursday. 

SB 1165 passed by a vote of 21-17 along party lines, with one GOP Senator Bill Stanley (R-20th District) abstaining. Stanley originally co-sponsored the bill, but wanted to add a provision that would ensure murderers convicted of aggravated offenses would never be allowed out of prison. 

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Virginia Marijuana Legalization Bills Prioritize Licenses and Loans to People with Marijuana Convictions

Eric Burk

Marijuana legalization bills are approaching a floor vote in both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate. In addition to removing criminal penalties, the 274-page bills essentially create an entire industry, including regulation of business licenses, creating taxes, and incentivizing entrepreneurs to enter the market.

But Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) said all of that is just a shell.

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Georgia Department of Labor Refutes Claim It Jeopardized State’s Financial Rating

The Center Square

Georgia Department of Labor officials said claims the agency caused a delay that could harm the state’s financial rating are inaccurate.

Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, said the state could be at risk of losing its AAA rating if the state auditor doesn’t receive additional documents from the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) to complete the state’s end-of-year comprehensive financial report.

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Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Kirk Cox Calls for Next Steps to Address Learning Losses from Virtual Classes

Eric Burk

Virginia’s Democratic leadership is finally starting to call for a return to in-person learning, but gubernatorial candidate Delegate Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) is calling for immediate next steps to address learning losses caused by virtual learning. In a Thursday press conference, Cox laid out his proposals, including expanding availability of tutors, assessing learning loss, and providing financial support to parents for remedial materials.

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Ohio Speaker Cupp Picks Committee Top Spots Rounding Out Leadership for 134th General Assembly

Jack Windsor

COLUMBUS, Ohio – As The Ohio Star reported, the House GOP chose Robert R. Cupp (R-Shawnee Twp.) to be the speaker of the house with Representative Tim Ginter (R-Salem) serving as speaker pro tempore. The majority leader is Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) with Rick Carfagna (R-Westerville) serving as assistant majority leader. Also, Representative Don Jones (R-Freeport) will serve as majority whip and Representative Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) will act as assistant majority whip.

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Virginia’s Battle over Bingo Intensifies

Peter D'Abrosca

A seemingly-innocuous bill in the Virginia Senate is causing quite a stir among the Commonwealth’s bingo community. 

According to the summary of SB 1127, introduced by State Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-17th District), the bill “Removes the requirement that an organization qualified to conduct bingo games may only play instant bingo, network bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards as part of such bingo games and at such times designated in a permit, if any, for regular bingo games.”

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Governor Ralph Northam Extends 2021 General Assembly Session

Eric Burk

Virginia Democrats will get more time to pass legislation after Governor Ralph Northam called a special legislative session to begin February 10. Northam’s announcement effectively adds 16 days to the current regular session, which is scheduled to end February 11. The proclamation comes after Republicans blocked a move to extend the 30-day regular session, hoping to limit their losses in a Democrat-controlled legislature.

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Minnesota Voters Want Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s Election Money Investigated

Admin

Alpha News recently reported that eight Minnesota voters petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court with claims that Minnesota didn’t follow election laws in 2020. As part of their legal effort, these voters are requesting access to data involving Facebook CEO and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s financial influence on how the 2020 election was conducted.

It has been widely reported that Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan gave $350 million to a nonprofit, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), that re-granted the funds to thousands of local election officials around the country. From the get-go, even before the election, these donations were controversial.

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Virginia House Votes to Double Fines for Littering

Peter D'Abrosca

In a bipartisan effort, the Virginia House of Delegates Wednesday voted to double fines for littering in the Commonwealth, and impose stricter community service guidelines for litterbugs. 

HB 1801, introduced by Del. James Edmunds II (R-Halifax), increases the minimum fine for “dumping or disposing of litter, trash, or other unsightly matter on public or private property,” from $250 to $500. The maximum fine, $2500, remains the same. 

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Bills for In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants Passes Virginia House, Senate

The Center Square

The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates passed their own versions of legislation that would guarantee in-state tuition for illegal immigrants residing in the state this week.

Under both bills, a person would be allowed to receive in-state tuition for public colleges and universities as long as the person meets all other necessary criteria, regardless of whether the person is residing in the country legally. The House version of the bill will be sent to the Senate and the Senate version to the House.

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Metro Parks Board Petitions State Historical Commission to Remove Sam Davis Statue

Corinne Murdock

Metro Parks Board has sought permission to remove the Confederate Private Monument featuring soldier Sam Davis from Centennial Park. They submitted the formal request to the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC); Tennessee Code requires that THC wait at least 60 days before holding a hearing for a petition.

Renewed discussion to remove the monument began during January’s board meeting. Vice-Chair Susannah Scott-Barnes asserted that the statue was a “divisive symbol.” She noted that, in light of last year’s protests and the continued climate over Confederate statues nationwide, any vandalism would pose a cost issue for the board. Although the board requires state permission to relocate or remove the monument, the costs to maintain the statue are sourced from local funds.

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Governor Lee Announces Amazon Expansion in East Tennessee

Corinne Murdock

Amazon will establish its eighth fulfillment center in East Tennessee, creating 800 full-time employees “to engage with advanced robotics.” Governor Bill Lee issued the announcement on Wednesday in a joint press release with Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and Amazon spokespersons.

Located in the city of Alcoa, the distribution center will overtake property that was once a local golf course by Alcoa Highway and Pellissippi Parkway. According to a press release issued by the county’s development cooperative, Blount Partnership, employees will receive a starting wage of $15 an hour with full benefits and other perks, including 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave. 

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Nation’s Largest Cities Suffered 30 Percent Increase in Homicides in 2020, Report Finds

Admin

Homicides spiked 30% in 34 of the United States’ largest cities in 2020, according to a report conducted by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.

Of the cities studied in the report, Chula Vista, California, saw the greatest increase in homicides, with 150% more in 2020 than the previous year. Madison and Milwaukee, the two largest cities in Wisconsin, saw increases of 100% and 85%, respectively, while only four cities – Raleigh, North Carolina; Baltimore; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Virginia Beach – saw declines in 2020.

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Biden Recommended to Appoint ‘Reality Czar’ to ‘Tackle Disinformation’

Admin

Experts have recommended that President Joe Biden appoint a “reality czar” to “tackle disinformation,” the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Technology columnist Kevin Roose’s piece examines how to combat disinformation in media, citing QAnon group chats, OAN reporting, and “YouTube videos alleging that the inauguration was a prerecorded hoax that had been filmed on a Hollywood soundstage.”

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Biden State Dept. Spox Calls Police ‘Blue Klux Klan,’ and ‘Largest Threat to U.S. National Security’

Admin

Just a few short years ago, the newly appointed deputy spokesperson for the Biden State Department wrote that the police posed the largest national security threat in America—greater than that of ISIS or Russia—because they were committing “genocide” against Black Americans.

In a 2016 Facebook post, uncovered by the Washington Free Beacon, Jalina Porter wrote: “The largest threat to US national security are US cops. Not ISIS, not Russian hackers, not anyone or anything else. If ya’ll don’t wake up and rise up to this truth, the genocide against Blacks in America will continue until we are near extinct. That’s not the world I seek to live in or create for myself and those around me.”

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Commentary: Electric Vehicles and Their Drawbacks, Chapter II

RealClearWire

There is a growing push in the U.S. and throughout much of the developed world to convert transportation from a primary reliance on fossil fuels to an almost-exclusive use of renewable energy (wind and solar). With this goal come promises of unlimited clean and free energy, the creation of millions of green jobs, and the benefit of helping save the planet from an imminent climate catastrophe.

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National Park Service Requiring All Employees, Visitors to Wear Masks, in Line with Biden’s Federal Mask Mandate

The Center Square

The National Park Service (NPS) has implemented the federal mask mandate for all employees and visitors of national parks and facilities on Tuesday, the agency announced.

The NPS, which manages 423 properties across the country, is now in line with President Joe Biden’s executive order mandating masks on federal properties that he signed on Jan. 20, his first day in office. 

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Project to Fund Electric Car-Charging Stations in Tennessee Will Cost $20 Million

Chris Butler

Officials with The Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced Wednesday they will develop more electric car-charging stations in the state, at an anticipated cost of $20 million. TDEC and TVA officials said in a press release that to get the money they “will leverage various funding sources.”

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Vanderbilt Law Professor Says Social Media Platforms Should be on the Offensive, Not Defensive, When It Comes to Regulating Speech

Corinne Murdock

Vanderbilt School of Law Professor Gautam Hans opined that social media companies should be on the offensive when it comes to regulating speech. In a spotlight series called “Ask an Expert” curated by Vanderbilt University, the assistant clinical professor suggested that these platforms ought to modify their approaches to content moderation.

In the brief video, Hans asserted that proactive approaches could improve the current dissatisfaction shared across party lines.

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Biden Signs Executive Order to Increase Welfare Dependency for Illegal Aliens

Admin

Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday that aims to increase illegal aliens’ dependency on welfare programs funded by taxpayer dollars, according to Breitbart.

The order revokes a Trump Administration policy that would ultimately put financial responsibility for such welfare benefits directly on the illegals themselves, or otherwise on the family member or business sponsor seeking green cards for any incoming illegals who had previously used a welfare system. Biden’s revoking of that order ultimately puts the cost for such use of the welfare system back on American citizens who fund such programs with their tax dollars.

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SWING AND A MISS: No GOP Capitol Hill Staffers Join 400 Democratic Staffers Demanding Senate Convict Trump

Neil W. McCabe

  Not one Republican staffers joined the nearly 400 Democratic Capitol Hill staffers posted an open letter to the Senate today urging the upper chamber to convict President Donald J. Trump in his Senate trial scheduled to begin Feb. 9. “We are staff who work for members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, where it is our honor and privilege to serve our country and our fellow Americans,” the letter began. “We write this letter to share our own views and experiences, not the views of our employers. But on January 6, 2021, our workplace was attacked by a violent mob trying to stop the electoral college vote count.” Nicholas Fandos wrote in The New York Times that the letter had been circulating on Capitol Hill for a few days and that the paper had been privy to the letter before its release. While he hyped the “starkly personal letter,” Fandos buried the lede: Not one of the staffers working for a Republican congressman or senator signed the letter. This includes staffers for the 10 Republican congressmen, led by Wyoming’s Rep. Elizabeth L. “Liz” Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump. Cheney is the daughter of Vice…

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer Sued over Ban on Contact Sports

Peter D'Abrosca

The Democrat governor of Michigan is being sued by several parties over her ban of contact sports at the high school level, which was recently extended until February 21. 

Let Them Play, Inc., a non-profit, along with the Michigan Amateur Youth Hockey League and players and parents of high school athletes, brought suit Wednesday against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), according to a legal complaint. 

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Virginia Legislature Moving Forward with Constitutional Amendment to Give Felons Voting Rights

Peter D'Abrosca

Virginia’s House Majority Leader celebrated Wednesday morning after a bill she introduced passed through committee. 

“What a great way to start the day!” Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D-VA-46) said on Twitter. “My proposed constitutional amendment that will put an end to the disenfranchisement of felons has passed out of the Privileges and Elections Committee and is on its way to the house floor!”

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Ohio Attorney General Announces Agreement to Stop Money Flowing from House Bill 6 to FirstEnergy

The Center Square

FirstEnergy has agreed to give up what could have been a $120 million windfall in 2021, and Ohio put on hold its ongoing lawsuit relating the state’s nuclear bailout law.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Monday what he called a “big win” for state consumers when the energy company said it would forego a provision in the law that guaranteed FirstEnergy the ability to recapture yearly profits based on its profit numbers from 2018.

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Virginia House Removes Farm Employee Minimum Wage Exemption

Eric Burk

On Tuesday, the House of Delegates passed Delegate Jeion Ward’s (D-Hampton) HB1786, a bill that would remove an exemption that allows farmers to pay farm employees less than Virginia’s minimum wage.

Currently, the Code of Virginia states, “‘Employee’ includes any individual employed by an employer. ‘Employee’ includes a home care provider. ‘Employee’ does not include the following: 1. Any person employed as a farm laborer or farm employee.”

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