Month: February 2022

Net Metering Politics: Many Florida Municipal Electric Utilities Pay Less for Customer-Generated Solar Electricity

Steve Stewart

As a proposal (SB 1024) moves through the Florida Legislature that would allow investor-owned utilities to pay less for electricity generated by residential rooftop solar, critics of the legislation and of investor-owned utilities have ignored the fact that many Florida municipal-managed electric utilities are already paying residential customers less for solar generated electricity.

Under current law, solar panel owners who have excess energy generated can sell it back to investor-owned utilities at the retail rate the utilities charge other customers. However, the proposal sponsored by Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley, would allow investor-owned utilities to pay a cheaper price for roof-top solar generated electricity.

The bill’s supporters claim solar customers are being subsidized by other utility customers because they rely on the underlying electric grid — and its lines, maintenance and other infrastructure costs — when the panels don’t generate enough electricity.

The issue has become partisan as Democrats attack the bill and investor-owned utilities, who are frequent campaign donors to Republican candidates.

U.S. Representative and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist said the anti-solar legislation is just another example of how utilities rig the system against the people of Florida in favor of corporations, and “Tallahassee is marching on.” He said as governor would fight utility companies to prevent them from getting unfair rate increases and make it easier to install solar power for homeowners.

Read the full story

Largest Owner of Spotify Stock Also Largest Owner of Moderna Stock

Peter D'Abrosca

Amid the controversy over world-famous Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan hosting guest Dr. Robert Malone, credited with inventing mRNA vaccine technology that is used in COVID-19 vaccines, Malone revealed information about a massive conflict of interest. 

On an episode of Tucker Carlson Today that aired Wednesday, Malone revealed that the largest stakeholder in Spotify, which has been under pressure to censor Rogan for spreading “misinformation” about COVID-19, is also the largest stakeholder in Moderna, one of the two companies distributing mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.

Read the full story

‘Easier to Vote, Harder to Cheat Act’ Seeks to Get on Ballot in Arizona

Rachel Alexander

Over 70 election integrity-related bills have been proposed in the Arizona Legislature since the highly questioned 2020 election, as well as ballot initiatives. Lee Miller, a former attorney for the Arizona Republican Party, recently filed paperwork launching a petition drive to get the “Easier to Vote, Harder to Cheat Act” as an initiative on the ballot this fall. The initiative makes it easier to vote in four ways and harder to cheat in five ways. One of the provisions would shorten the time allowed for tabulating ballots.

Valerie Grosso-Turley, founder of the grassroots Arizona-based America Pack, looked at the initiative and told the Arizona Sun Times, “With the continued skepticism of the 2020 election still top of mind of many voters, Arizona’s extended ballot-counting process adds to the distrust and suspicion of voters. Every voter must have confidence in our elections regardless of party affiliation. Polling has consistently shown that a majority of Republicans believe Biden won through fraud. I don’t know if the ‘easier to vote, harder to cheat act’ is the solution, but I do support the ongoing conversation to find a solution.” 

Read the full story

Freedom Convoy Backs Up Traffic on Ambassador Bridge, Jams Shipping Route to Canada

Peter D'Abrosca

A bridge linking a major international shipping route between the U.S. and Canada is blocked, thanks to a a weeks-long protest by truckers in that country who are against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

“Cameras over the highway on I-94 depicted a massive traffic jam building up near Port Huron, where the only bridge port of entry linking Canada to the U.S. that remained open became overwhelmed with diverted truck traffic,” according to WJBK.

Read the full story

Wisconsin Democratic Lawmaker Deletes Tweet Claiming Parents Should Not ‘Have a Say’ in Public Education

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin State Representative Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) on Thursday echoed claims expressed by many Democrats that parents should not “have a say” in their child’s public education.

“If parents want to ‘have a say’ in their child’s education, they should home school or pay for private school tuition out of their pocket,” she wrote in a tweet that she later deleted.

Read the full story

University of Minnesota Looks to Hire Professor with ‘Knowledge of’ and ‘Commitment to’ Critical Race Theory

Admin

The University of Minnesota is looking to hire an assistant professor of elementary literacy education with “knowledge of” and “commitment to” critical race theory (CRT), climate literacy, and other related areas.

The job posting appears in the U of M’s “Career” database, with the Center of the American Experiment first reporting on it Tuesday.

Read the full story

Ohio Attorney General Yost to Hold Forum on Elder Abuse After Esther’s Law Passed

Peter D'Abrosca

Attorney General Dave Yost (R) is holding a series of forums to spread awareness about elder abuse in the state. 

In a press release announcing the next event in the series of forums, called  “Responding to Financial Exploitation, Scams and Fraud in Facility Settings,” Yost told the following story of an Ohio senior who was bilked out of his own money:

Read the full story

Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears Breaks First Tie of Her Term

Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears cast her first tie-breaking vote in the Senate on Thursday. Senator Jeremy McPike (D-Prince William) voted with Republicans against SB 137, a bill that would allow defendants in most felony cases to appeal a judge’s discretionary sentence if the judge does not provide a “written explanation that adequately explains the sentence imposed[.]” When the 20-20 vote result was clear, Earle-Sears asked bill patron Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke) and opponent Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) to come to the dais, where they discussed the bill. Then, Earle-Sears voted against the bill.

“What I wanted to do was to give the patron an opportunity to talk to me about the bill in a way that I may not have, you know, heard before. And then I also wanted to hear the opposing view. I always want to give people the opportunity so that they can make their case. And as I was listening to all sides, what appeared to me was that the bill unfortunately is poorly written,”she told The Virginia Star.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Opposing Greenhouse Gas Initiative Offer Alternative Policy

Bradley Vasoli

Lawmakers who have attempted to stop Pennsylvania’s entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) are proposing alternative measures to mitigate carbon emissions in the Keystone State.

Representative Jim Struzzi has amended the anti-RGGI legislation he introduced last year to authorize spending $250 million from Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 Response Restricted Account on carbon-dioxide-reduction technologies and related items. Funded projects would include methane abatement, hydrogen-based infrastructure and stormwater mitigation as well as assistance to communities weathering electric-generation plant closures.

Read the full story

Virginia House of Delegates Passes Seven Elections Reform Bills

Eric Burk

The House of Delegates passed seven election reforms bills on Thursday, including a bill to require photo identification to vote, a bill shortening early voting from 45 days to 14 days, and a bill requiring voters to submit absentee ballot requests for each election.

Delegate Phillip Scott (R-Spotsylvania) introduced HB 39 to shorten early voting. He said on the House floor on Wednesday, “There’s been a lot of information out there about those who participate in early voting, there’s a lot of information about the strain that puts on the localities having to staff these locations, find places to host the early voting.”

Read the full story

VoterGA Refutes Recent Brad Raffensperger Letter to Congress

Chris Butler

Members of VoterGA this week released a 42-point report refuting Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s recent 10-page letter that said former President Donald Trump made false statements about the integrity of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Raffensperger sent the letter to members of Georgia’s congressional delegation and to members of the Georgia General Assembly.

Read the full story

Commentary: Middlemen Who Control the Prescription Drug Market Are Responsible for Rising Insulin and Drug Prices

Admin

Why is insulin, invented more than 100 years ago, still unaffordable for many of America’s 10 million diabetics who rely on it?

Politicians reflexively blame pharmaceutical manufacturers. Sen. Bernie Sanders asked rhetorically in November, “What possible reason, other than greed, could there be for the pharmaceutical industry to raise the price of insulin by more than 1,400%?”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently announced plans to investigate rising insulin prices as a pretext for increased government regulation of the market. “While drug companies profit off of people’s health, they also benefit from a current market in which they control the pricing,” she proclaimed. “Enough is enough.”

Read the full story

Peloton Plans for Ohio Plant Scrapped

The Center Square

Peloton’s plan to build the company’s first U.S. factory in the Toledo area has been scrapped, and the company’s CEO is stepping down, the company announced in a news release.

Peloton also announced it was cutting 2,800 jobs, with the bulk of those coming at its headquarters in New York City. The announcements are part of a cost-saving effort the company expects will save around $800 million.

Read the full story

Records Released in Amir Locke Shooting Show He Wasn’t Named on Arrest Warrant

Peter D'Abrosca

According to warrants released in the shooting of Amir Locke, he was not the target of the police raid that led to his death. 

Instead the warrant was for 17-year-old Mekhi Speed, Locke’s cousin, who has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a St. Paul man last month, according to WCCO. The warrants were unsealed days ago, but needed a judge’s stamp of approval to be released to the public because Speed is a minor. 

Read the full story

New Bill Would Require Three-Year State Residency Before Running to Represent Tennesseans in Congress

Chris Butler

State Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) has introduced a bill that would, if enacted into law, restrict people who haven’t lived in Tennessee for a certain period from running for Congress.

Specifically, the bill prohibits someone from accepting a nomination as a candidate for U.S. senator or as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives unless he or she voted in the state’s three previous elections.

Niceley told The Tennessee Star on Thursday that he has an amendment that will rewrite the measure, SB 2616.

Read the full story

U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw Endorses Morgan Ortagus for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Seat

Aaron Gulbransen

U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2)  has made an endorsement in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.

Rep. Crenshaw has endorsed former Trump administration State Department Spokesman Morgan Ortagus. Crenshaw’s endorsement came when he retweeted Ortagus’ announcement video, saying “Proud to stand with you Morgan. See you in Congress.”

Read the full story

Commentary: ‘Blinkmanship’ Is the New Normal in President Biden’s State Department

Admin

Because of increasing specialization, most of today’s top government officials have spent their entire lives in government service. They lack the gentleman-amateur chops of a Dean Acheson or the business background of someone like Donald Trump. The results are not encouraging.

One thing you learn in business is that bluffing is dangerous. It’s easier to make promises than to keep them, and that often it’s better to be ambiguous, to say nothing, or, if necessary, to communicate only in private.

Read the full story

Congressman Tim Burchett Urges Action from Biden, Pelosi on Fentanyl Crisis

Cooper Moran

Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden, urging the Democratic leaders to take action to curb the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

“From 2019 to 2020, drug overdose deaths jumped from 70,630 to 91,794, driven by 20,000 more deaths attributed to synthetic opioid fentanyl and its deadlier analogs. In fiscal year 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents seized over 11,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the southern border, a 42 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. Our country cannot tolerate another year of surging overdose deaths. It is past time to fight back,” he wrote in the letter to Pelosi.

Read the full story

Australia-Based Company to Build Electric Vehicle Charger Production Plant in Tennessee

Chris Butler

The Australian-based Tritium DCFC, which manufactures fast chargers for electric vehicles, has announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. “The location is expected to house up to six production lines for Tritium’s DC fast chargers, including the company’s award-winning RTM and all-new PKM150 models,” according to a statement on the company’s website.

Read the full story

Democrats and Media Allies Claim ‘Science Has Changed’ on Mask Mandates as Midterms Approach

Susan Berry, PhD

As the mid-term elections approach, a number of Democrat governors are now following in the steps of Republican Governors Ron DeSantis (FL) and Glenn Youngkin (VA) in support of dropping mask mandates.

Supported by their political and media allies, the governors of states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, California, and Oregon are now announcing mask mandates in schools may be dropped soon, as the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Read the full story

Activists Are Trying to Normalize Pedophilia and Corporate Media Is Helping Them

Admin

Media outlets have provided a microphone to activists who want to society to accept pedophilia as a sexual identity separate from any criminal activity.

At the same time that activists push for a respectable place in society for pedophiles — who are called minor attracted people — some conservative commentators and concerned parents are voicing fears about the sexualization of children and their exposure to sexual materials, often in relation to gender and sexual identity programs targeting young people.

Read the full story

USAID Gave $4.67 Million Grant to Wuhan Lab Collaborator EcoHealth Alliance Last Fall

Admin

A United States government agency was still doling out millions of taxpayer dollars to the scandal-plagued EcoHealth Alliance as late as October of 2021, long after it became known that the Peter Daszak-led operation had funneled federal grant money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to conduct risky gain-of-function research.

The Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $4.67 million five-year grant to EcoHealth Alliance in late 2021. A group of 26 House Republicans have sent a letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power demanding answers.

Read the full story

Big Tech Censored Dozens of Doctors, over 800 Accounts for COVID-19 ‘Misinformation,’ Study Shows

Admin

Major technology companies and social media platforms have removed, suppressed or flagged the accounts of over 800 prominent individuals and organizations, including medical doctors, for COVID-19 misinformation, according to a new study from the Media Research Center (MRC).

MRC’s Free Speech America CensorTrack, an initiative that monitors acts of censorship across online platforms, identified over 41 instances between March 2020 and February 2022 in which doctors, scientists and medical organizations were censored, according to the results of a study shared with Daily Caller News Foundation.

Read the full story

Over Half of Americans Don’t Think Schools Need to Teach About the Ongoing Impact of Slavery and Racism

Admin

Over half of Americans don’t think schools have a responsibility to teach students about the ongoing impact of slavery and racism, according to according to a poll released Monday by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University in partnership with APM Research Lab.

Two-thirds of Republican respondents and almost half of Independents said educators should only teach the history of slavery, according to the “Mood of the Nation” poll. Only one-fifth of Democratic respondents said exclusively the history of slavery should be taught.

Read the full story

Conservative Tech Group Launches Nationwide Campaign to Pass Senate Anti-Big Tech Bill

Admin

The Internet Accountability Project (IAP), a conservative tech group, launched a nationwide ad campaign Wednesday urging the passage of a bill targeting Apple and Google.

The ads, set to launch on Newsmax, are intended to support Republican senators who backed antitrust legislation designed to curb the anticompetitive practices of major tech companies, according to a review of the ad campaign by Daily Caller News Foundation. The ads thank the senators for backing the Open App Markets Act, which if passed would prevent app stores like Google Play and Apple’s App Store from forcing developers to use the tech giants’ in-app payment systems as a condition of distribution.

Read the full story

Inspector General Opens Investigation into Allegations That U.S. Capitol Police Have Been Illegally Spying on GOP Lawmakers

Admin

The inspector general for the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) has opened a formal investigation into allegations that the law enforcement agency has been improperly spying on Republican members of Congress, their staff, and visitors to their offices, the Federalist reported on Tuesday.

Concerns that the USCP have overstepped their bounds have been simmering for months, with some Republican lawmakers alleging that the Capitol Police have been transformed into Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “personal Praetorian Guard.”

Read the full story

Commentary: Patrisse Cullors Needs to Tell the Public What Happened to BLM’s $60 Million

RealClearWire

After leaving his victims with shattered dreams and millions in collective financial losses, the legendary con artist Charles Ponzi observed with casual cruelty, “Even if they never got anything for it, it was cheap at that price.”

There is something of that same unrepentant sentiment in the selective silence of previously voluble woke corporate boards and national media pundits. Their unwillingness to demand accountability and transparency of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, a $90 million organization that publicly promised social justice to its millions of small donors and corporate benefactors – including Facebook, Google and Twitter – after George Floyd’s death, makes them aiders and abettors to BLMGNF’s questionable leadership and violations of law.

Read the full story

Lawmakers Propose Enhanced Enforcement of E-Verify in Pennsylvania

Bradley Vasoli

Two Pennsylvania state lawmakers indicated this week they’re authoring legislation to enhance the effectiveness of a web-based system used to confirm workers’ legal U.S. residency.

In 1996, the federal government established the E-Verify system as a voluntary five-state pilot program to ease employers’ ability to check the immigration statuses of their new hires. It was expanded for use in all 50 states in 2003 and is administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the full story

Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams Addresses Photo Op Controversy, Says Not Wearing Mask Was ‘Mistake’

Peter D'Abrosca
Stacey Abrams without a mask in a crowd of young students

After appearing without a mask for a photo opportunity last week in front of a classroom full of masked students, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has apologized. 

“I took a picture and that was the mistake,” Abrams said on CNN Tuesday. “Protocols matter and protecting our kids is the most important thing and anything that can be perceived as undermining. That is a mistake and I apologize.”

Read the full story

State Senate Gives Virginia Gov. Youngkin Another Education Win, Passes Sexually Explicit Classroom Material Notification Bill

Eric Burk

Wednesday was a good day for Governor Glenn Youngkin, who received two major education policy wins from the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate, which passed Senator Siobhan Dunnavant’s (R-Henrico) bill requiring parental notification of sexually explicit instructional material in public school classes. Senators Lynwood Lewis Jr. (D-Accomack) and Montgomery “Monty” Mason (D-Williamsburg) voted with all the Republicans to pass the bill 20 to 18.

Dunnavant said, “Senate Bill 656 is a bill that we discussed and passed out of this body before that seeks to inform parents when controversial, sexually explicit material is being discussed in the classroom. It has nothing to do with libraries. It has an enactment clause that specifically protects books and ensures that it does not censor books.”

Read the full story

State Supreme Court Tosses Ohio’s Legislative District Maps for Second Time

The Center Square

The Ohio Supreme Court again sided with the League of Women Voters and tossed out new state legislative district maps for a second time, saying Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission disregarded its initial ruling.

The court ruled, 4-3, the commission’s second attempt that preserved Republican majorities was unconstitutional and ordered the commission to adopt a new plan, saying if the commission would have used its time more wisely and been committed to working together to find a map that met court guidelines, it could have been accomplished.

Read the full story