Month: September 2021

City of Tucson Joins Two Lawsuits Against Arizona Legislature over Masks, Vaccines, CRT, Police Review Boards, and a Ballot Audit Committee

Rachel Alexander
Tucson City Hall

The City of Tucson is joining two lawsuits against the Arizona Legislature with amicus curiae briefs. The first is a lawsuit filed on August 12 by the Arizona School Boards Association, the Arizona Education Association and other education organizations and activists over HB 2898, SB 1824, and SB 1825, which prohibit mask and vaccine mandates, ban Critical Race Theory, and establish a legislative committee to review the findings of the state Senate review of the November 2020 election results in Maricopa County.

The second is a lawsuit filed by the City of Phoenix over HB 2893, which sets the qualifications for members of civilian review boards including requiring training. It also allows a legislator to submit a request to the Arizona Attorney General for an investigation of “any written policy, written rule or written regulation adopted by any agency, department or other entity of the county, city or town.”

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Georgia Democrats Warn Raphael Warnock Is Vulnerable

Chris Butler

Members of the Georgia Democratic Party sent out a series of fundraising emails this week warning that U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) could lose reelection next year. “The analysts at CNN have put together a list of which Senate seats they believe are most likely to flip in 2022, and the results are extremely concerning: They’re saying Sen. Reverend Raphael Warnock is the MOST vulnerable Democrat up for re-election,” according to one of the Georgia Democratic Party’s emails.
“Making things even worse, a recent poll shows Herschel Walker, Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate, is NECK AND NECK with Sen. Rev. Warnock! That means top supporters like YOU are all that will stand in the way of Mitch McConnell becoming Senate Majority Leader once again.”

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State Sen. Newman Announces Resignation from Virginia Redistricting Commission the Day After Commission Sees First Partial Map Drafts

Eric Burk

Another Republican member is resigning from the Virginia Redistricting Commission. On Friday, Senator Stephen Newman (R-Bedford) announced his resignation; the commission will likely appoint a replacement from a list already put forward by Senate Minority Leader Thomas Norment, Jr. (R-James City.)

“I have enjoyed working with my colleagues on the Virginia Redistricting Commission for the past nine months. Approved by the voters last November, the bipartisan Commission is in its first year and I wish them well as they continue to navigate uncharted territory,” Newman said in a statement. “Given the newly published Commission meeting schedule and my ongoing professional obligations, I regret that I can no longer serve on this body.”

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Florida Gov. DeSantis Says Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Has Decreased COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Casey Owens

Governor DeSantis announced Thursday that the 21 monoclonal antibody treatment centers he issued last month have positively resulted in a decrease in the number of hospitalizations in Florida that surged due to the COVID-19 delta variant.

Data from the Florida Hospital Association from Wednesday showed that 14,682 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday – a decrease of 9.9% in the last seven days.

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Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally Believes Special Legislative Session Is Unnecessary

Chris Butler

A spokesman for Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Thursday shared McNally’s views on whether state legislators should still convene for a special session. “While Lt. Governor McNally is firmly against government vaccine passports, he is extremely reticent to place restrictions on private business,” said McNally spokesman Adam Kleinheider, via email.

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Commentary: Biden’s Job Approval Has Entered Dangerous Territory

RealClearWire

In 1880, Americans did something momentous: They all elected their congressional delegations in the same year. Prior to that, elections had been a hodgepodge affair. For example, the first elections for the 28th Congress, which ostensibly met from 1843 to 1845, were held in Missouri on Aug. 1, 1842. But only five other states held elections that year; almost all other states held them over the course of the odd numbered year of 1843. Maryland finally got around to holding its elections on Feb. 14, 1844, a half-year before the presidential election and less than a year before the next Congress convened.

Even after 1880, a truly uniform Election Day did not arrive until 1960, when Maine gave up its stubborn insistence on holding its congressional elections in September. But for all intents and purposes, 1882 marks the birth of the phenomenon we know today as the midterm election year.

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State Department Says It Doesn’t Have Data on Number of Americans Rescued Since Last Kabul Flight

Admin

A spokesperson for the State Department said he did not “have data” on whether Americans have been rescued from Afghanistan since the last U.S. flight out of Kabul at a press briefing on Wednesday.

“I don’t have data to provide on that front,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at the briefing when asked if he had a number.

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January 6 Commission Taps Cheney as Vice Chair While Republicans Move to Oust Her from Their Caucus

Admin

Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson announced Thursday that he would tap Rep. Liz Cheney as the vice chair on the committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a day after some GOP lawmakers called for the Wyoming Republican to be ousted from the House Republican caucus.

“Representative Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people,” Thompson said in a statement. “Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee, and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort.”

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Biden: Supreme Court Abortion Ruling ‘Insults the Rule of Law’

Admin

President Joe Biden condemned a ruling by the Supreme Court on Texas’ Heartbeat Act Thursday, saying the court’s decision “insults the rule of law.”

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 late Wednesday night to deny abortion providers’ requests for injunctive relief against Texas’ new law banning abortion after 6 weeks. The president weighed in on the ruling Thursday morning, calling it an “unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade.”

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Weekly Jobless Claims Sink to 340,000, Hit New Pandemic Low

Admin

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 340,000 in the week ending Aug. 28, as the economy continues to slowly recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics figure released Thursday represents a slight decrease in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Aug. 21, when 354,000 new jobless claims were reported. That figure was revised from the 353,000 jobless claims initially reported last week.

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Pro-Antifa Teacher in California to Be Fired After Project Veritas Video

Admin

A schoolteacher in California who voiced his support for the far-left domestic terrorist organization Antifa is set to be fired from his job after his support for terrorism was revealed by a Project Veritas video, as reported by Fox News.

Gabriel Gipe, who taught social studies at Inderkum High School in Sacramento, was the subject of a 10-minute video by Project Veritas, a group of investigative journalists who specialize in going undercover within far-left organizations and secretly recording confessions of wrongdoing, radical beliefs, and other scandals.

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Report: U.S. Left Behind Majority of Afghan Allies Who Applied for Visas

Admin

The U.S. abandoned more than half of all interpreters and Afghans who applied for special immigrant visas (SIV), a senior State Department official told The Wall Street Journal.

The official didn’t share specific information or figures, but estimated that a majority of the visa applicants were left behind in Afghanistan, the WSJ reported. The Department of State doesn’t have exact data on who was evacuated from the Middle Eastern nation after the Taliban took control of the capital city of Kabul, due to the urgent nature of the operation.

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Michael Patrick Leahy Talks About Pop Up Nonprofits Used for Partisan Political Purposes

Julie Carr

  In a special interview, Thursday on First Principles with Phill Kline – host Kline talked with Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO, and editor-in-chief of The Star News Network who uncovered partisan non-profit popups in swing states and the importance of election integrity as the deciding fate of America’s constitutional Republic. Leahy: And it turns out, Phill, as you see the story in Michigan, it was the only state where that Center for Election and Innovation and Research money did not go to the Secretary of State. Now, if it goes to the Secretary of State, it’s discoverable how it was spent. Kline: Right. Leahy: It went to a shell 501 (c) (3) organization that has been around about ten years that had been established by the current Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. And they got $12 million bucks. They sent it to a 501 (c) (3) called the Michigan Center for Election Administration. We just got a copy of their Form 990s from the IRS. And – here’s the punch line – that $12 million dollars was basically all spent in two different groups. $11.8 million dollars went to a Democrat media buy firm that’s a subsidiary of the…

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Georgia Congressman Co-Sponsoring Bill to Mandate Daily Reports About Americans Still Stranded in Afghanistan

Chris Butler

U.S. Representative Rick Allen (R-GA-12) said his Republican colleagues are co-sponsoring legislation that would require the U.S. Secretary of Defense to submit daily reports to Congress about the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan. Allen announced the news during a Tuesday telephone town hall with his constituents.

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Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs Calls on Leader McCarthy to Remove Cheney, Kinzinger from GOP Conference

Cooper Moran

Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and more than a dozen other GOP lawmakers penned a letter to Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23), urging him to remove Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16) from the Republican conference.

Specifically, the GOP members of Congress requested a reconsideration of a GOP Conference Rule change that would remove members who accept committee assignments or serve on a committee without recommendation from the Republican Steering Committee or the Republican Leader.

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Minnesota Legislators Respond to Upcoming ‘Squad’ Visit Regarding Line 3

Hayley Feland

Several Minnesota legislators responded to an upcoming visit from members of the “Squad” that will be taking place on Friday afternoon.  According to a press release from Representative Ilhan Omar’s (D-05-MN) office, they are planning to speak out against Line 3.

Representatives Michelle Fischbach (R-07-MN), Pete Stauber (R-08-MN), and Tom Emmer (R-06-MN) issued a statement saying that Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-05-MN), Cori Bush (D-01-MO), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-14-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-07-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-13-MI) are “seeking soundbites.”

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Finalists for Florida Public Service Commission Appointments Sent to Governor DeSantis

Casey Owens

Governor DeSantis will make two appointments to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) out of six finalists who were sent to the Governor on Tuesday by the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council (PSCNC).

The two positions are opening due to current commission members Art Graham and Andrew Fay’s terms expiring in January 2022 – both of whom are among the six finalists and looking for reappointment.

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House Armed Services Committee Passes Bill Protecting Three Guided Missile Cruisers Based in Virginia

Eric Burk

A major defense bill passed out of the House Armed Services Committee Thursday, with spending for Virginia. Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) said that Republicans led an effort to include an amendment that, in part protects three guided-missile cruisers based in Virginia from decommissioning. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 passed 57 to two. It includes a top-line spending level of $740 billion, up from President Joe Biden’s proposed $715 billion, according to Defense News.

“While defense is often and rightfully viewed as a national priority, here in Virginia, this additional funding fuels economic growth and the creation of jobs. This growth will further translate to funding for state priorities such as roads, schools, and law enforcement. With many of these ships built, maintained and repaired in Virginia, the Commonwealth’s economy especially stands to benefit from the passage of the FY22 NDAA,” Wittman said in a press release.

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Ohio University Latest to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine

Peter D'Abrosca
Ohio University

Ohio University is the latest school to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine among students, faculty, and staff, according to a letter from school President Hugh Sherman.

“Public health experts are tracking an increase in cases in Ohio and on our campuses due to the extremely contagious Delta variant, and we need to do everything we can to continue to show our care and respect for one another and do our part to help keep the entire community safe and healthy,” the letter says. 

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Federal Judge Denies Halt to Michigan State University’s Vaccine Mandate

The Center Square

A federal judge denied a temporary restraining order sought by a Michigan State University employee who sued over the school’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, claiming she has natural immunity.

Jeanna Norris is a supervisory administrative associate and fiscal officer at MSU. The university has threatened disciplinary action, including termination, if employees do not comply with the school’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for the Fall 2021 semester, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

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Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Leads 16 States to Stop Biden’s Lack of Immigration Enforcement Related to Crime

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich led 15 other attorneys general to file an amicus curiae brief on August 30 in a lawsuit requesting to halt the Biden administration’s “Interim Guidance” policy of not enforcing laws against illegal immigration when it comes to crime. The lawsuit was filed against the Biden administration on April 6 by the attorneys general of Texas and Louisiana accusing Biden of endangering Americans by no longer arresting or deporting nearly all illegal immigrants involved in crime. Brnovich and the coalition asked the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to deny Biden’s request for a stay of his policy while his administration appeals a trial court’s ruling halting the policy. 

“The Biden Administration continues to intentionally violate federal immigration laws and endanger all Americans,” said Brnovich in a statement. “We continue to see the release of convicted felons, COVID-19 positive migrants, and record levels of dangerous drugs into cities across our country. These reckless policies are illegal, unconscionable and disgraceful. The Biden Administration must be held accountable.”

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Florida Attorney General Joins Fight over Mask Mandates

Grant Holcomb

Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody (R), has entered into the fight against rogue school districts defying state law. She voiced her opinion after a court decision earlier this week saying Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mask mandate ban was unconstitutional and unenforceable.

DeSantis said they will be quickly filing an appeal to the decision in another attempt to “defend the law and parents’ rights in Florida.”

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Florida Gov. DeSantis Attracting Big Name Donors, More 2024 Rumors Swirl

Grant Holcomb

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been attracting national attention for his handling of the COVID pandemic and after taking different campaign trips across the country he has attracted some of the GOP’s biggest donors.

According to Friends of Ron DeSantis’ campaign documents, Kenneth Griffin, founder of Citadel, a Chicago-based hedge fund, as donated $5 million. David MacNeil, founder of WeatherTech, donated $500,000 in May, and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus gave $250,000.

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Ohio Redistricting Commission Misses First Deadline

The Center Square

Ohio’s new redistricting commission missed its first constitutional deadline for redrawing legislative maps, and one of the group’s co-chairs laid the blame at the feet of the federal government.

House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, said late data from the U.S. Census Bureau was the reason the Ohio Redistricting Commission missed the Sept. 1 deadline to present its first maps and failed to hold three public hearings on those maps.

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Wisconsin Representative Calls United States Department of Agriculture Masking Requirement in Small Town Meat Plant ‘Absurd’

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin Representative Thomas Tiffany (R-07-WI) said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) demand that employees at a small Wisconsin meat processing plant wear masks “absurd.” As was reported by Empower Wisconsin, the USDA warned Nolechek’s Meats that they would not conduct any inspections unless all employees were properly masked. Not having it’s products inspected would mean that the plant would lose any out-of-state business.

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Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument to Come Down After Virginia Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuits Blocking Removal

Eric Burk

The Virginia Supreme Court dissolved injunctions blocking the removal of the Lee monument in Richmond, according to an opinion and an order published by the court on Thursday. In June 2020, Governor Ralph Northam ordered the removal of the monument, which sits on a small piece of land owned by Virginia in the middle of Richmond. Courts issued injunctions to prevent removal while considering two lawsuits challenging the legal authority to remove the monument.

In Taylor v. Northam, plaintiffs argued that documents from the late 1800s prevent the removal. But the court said that the restrictive covenants are unenforceable, and said that they unreasonably try to force government speech indefinitely.

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Williamson County Citizen Group Presents Solutions to Restore Trust in Tennessee’s Elections

Laura Baigert

FRANKLIN, Tennessee – The Williamson County Voters for Election Integrity citizen group presented solutions to restore trust in county and statewide elections in Tennessee that was damaged in the November 2020 election, in large part due to the actions of others in other states.

The group, comprised of business professionals including two former chief information, a library science data analyst, a 40-year IT professional, a process engineer and several communication executives, over the last 10 months has been “studying voting machines, voting processes and the need to institute best practices to help government officials fix election vulnerabilities found in both Williamson County and across Tennessee following last November’s voting,” said team member Frank Limpus in a press release. (INSERT LINK TO PRESS RELEASE HERE)

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Trump Blasts Political Enemies, Warns About Future of U.S. in Wide-Ranging Interview with John Fredericks

Eric Burk
Donald Trump sitting at desk

RICHMOND, Virginia — Former President Donald Trump spent an hour on The John Fredericks Show for a wide-ranging exclusive interview also broadcast on Real America’s Voice Wednesday. Trump blasted enemies ranging from intelligence community leaders to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and criticized President Joe Biden for a decision to leave U.S. military equipment behind in Afghanistan.

“I looked at that equipment that’s left, where you have literally thousands, hundreds of thousands of guns left behind, and by the way, these are weapons that are better than what we have. They’re newer. And the planes, and just from a common sense standpoint, why wouldn’t you fly the planes out,” Trump said.

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Commentary: After Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal, Pro-Biden National Security Experts Conspicuously Quiet

RealClearWire

In the aftermath of any botched U.S. military operation, what inevitably follows are numerous news cycles of noisy recriminations across Washington’s national security and foreign policy establishment. Republican lawmakers and some conservative military and diplomatic hands have blasted President Biden as the Afghanistan withdrawal spiraled out of control over the last two weeks, but there have been glaring exceptions.

Conspicuously absent from the after-action finger-pointing are nearly all of the 500 national security experts — both civilians and former senior uniformed officers — who endorsed Joe Biden for president last fall, while denouncing President Trump as an unfit commander-in-chief.

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Study: Efforts to Cancel University Faculty Skyrocketed in 2020, Often Ended in Punishment

Admin

University punishment of faculty for their speech has exploded in the past five years, most often prompted by their expression on social media or in the classroom, a new report claims.

More than 60% of the cancelation campaigns came from the professor’s political left, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Those were overwhelmingly driven by undergraduates, followed by fellow scholars and graduate students.

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White House Pledges to Get Interpreter Who Helped Rescue Biden out of Afghanistan

Admin

The White House has responded to the plea of an Afghan interpreter who helped rescue then-Senator Joe Biden as well as then-Senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel during a 2008 snowstorm in Afghanistan.

The interpreter, identified only by his first name – Mohammed – told The Wall Street Journal that he, his wife and four children are in hiding from the Taliban after a years-long failed attempt to get out of Afghanistan.

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Says Biden Won’t Be Impeached

Cooper Moran

Citing the slim Democratic Party majority in both chambers of congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) ignored calls within the Republican Party and insisted President Joe Biden will not be impeached.

“Well, look, the president is not going to be removed from office. There’s a Democratic House, a narrowly Democratic Senate. That’s not going to happen,” he said at an event in his home state.

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