Connecticut Approved for Federal Funds for Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Connecticut has been approved to receive federal funding for new substance abuse treatments, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced the state will receive $30 million in annual Medicaid funding that will benefit residents who are struggling with substance abuse to provide them heightened treatment. Funding will also cover residential care services while increasing provider payment rates.

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Judge Rules That Prisons Must Accommodate ‘Transgender’ Prisoners with ‘Gender-Affirming’ Surgery

A federal judge ruled on Monday that a federal prisoner is entitled to surgical procedures that will alter his body in order to accommodate his “transgender” identity.

As reported by USA Today, Judge Nancy Rosenstengel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois ordered the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide a surgeon who will perform the operation for a prisoner going by the name of Christina Iglesias, a man who believes that he is a woman. The decision ended a case that has lasted for three years.

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Arlington Approves Plan for Amazon’s HQ2 Development

The Arlington County Board voted unanimously Saturday to approve plans for development at Amazon’s HQ2, including the Helix, an up to 350-foot high spiral-shaped tower with indoor meeting spaces and a walking paths on the outside. The PenPlace plan also includes three 22-story office buildings, public park space, and retail pavilions. The vote concludes a year-long public review process, and planning officials recommended that the board approve the plan, noting that it fits within broader goals for Pentagon City. “We have a brand-new sector plan in place with Pentagon City, and it is really exciting that this first project out of the gate under that new sector plan not only conforms with it, but exceeds it, right,” board Chair Katie Cristol said in summary remarks before the vote. Cristol said the plan met and exceeded Arlington’s Climate Change, Energy and Environment Commission goals, and would also benefit the community, small business owners, construction workers, and students. Amazon has highlighted the eye-catching design of the tower, green spaces, and public walking paths through the compound. Arlington Community High School will also have a permanent home on the PenPlace site. After a 2018 announcement that Amazon would build its HQ2 in Arlington,…

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Over 40 Terror Watchlist Suspects Crossed the Border Illegally on Biden’s Watch

At least 42 suspects on the United States terror watchlist have been arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trying to enter the country illegally across the southern border.

As reported by Fox News, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations reported that they have “arrested 42 subjects who were on the terror watchlist and attempted to enter the United States illegally” since January 20th, 2021. These individuals were all found in the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), which archives information on all foreign individuals who are “reasonably suspected” of being involved with terrorist organizations and activities.

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Activist Aviator Says Cardiologist Tells Him 30 Percent of Vaccinated Pilots Would Fail Health Screenings Due to Vaccine Injuries

Joshua Yoder, an airline pilot and co-founder of the U.S. Freedom Flyers said during an interview Wednesday that a cardiologist told him that if the airlines were conducting certain health screenings, 30 percent of the pilots currently flying would probably be disqualified due to vaccine-induced heart conditions.

Yoder told tech millionaire and Vaccine Safety Research Foundation founder Steve Kirsch that his group has received hundreds of reports about pilots flying planes while suffering from adverse side effects from the COVID vaccines.

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The Real Story of How the Tennessee GOP Followed the Party’s Bylaws to Disqualify Three Candidates from the TN-5 Primary Ballot

Many national and local news outlets have reported inaccurately about the process by which the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) disqualified three candidates from the August 4, 2022 GOP primary ballot in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on April 19, 2022.

In the immediate aftermath of this decision made by the TRP in accordance with its bylaws and the laws of Tennessee, Robby Starbuck (legal name Robert Starbuck Newsom), one of the three disqualified candidates, delivered a series of press interviews and social media statements in which he made false claims about the integrity of the TRP’s process in handling his disqualification.

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Twitter Bans Ads Contradicting U.N. Climate Science

Twitter will no longer sell ads with messaging that contradicts the United Nations’ (UN) scientists, according to a statement from the Silicon Valley tech giant. 

“To better serve these conversations, misleading advertisements on Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited, in line with our inappropriate content policy,” the statement says. “We believe that climate denialism shouldn’t be monetized on Twitter, and that misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis. This approach is informed by authoritative sources, like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports.”

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Commentary: The Pathological Nature of Wokeness

It is not often that two contrasting mainstream media events reveal so completely the nature of the deep dysfunction of modern culture. Yet that is precisely what happened last month.

Those two events are as follows: First, contrarian Substack writer and known anti-woke crusader Andrew Sullivan appeared on Jon Stewart’s new show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart.” I do not think I am being uncharitable when I call the appearance a disaster. Which, to be fair, is not entirely Sullivan’s fault, seeing as he was thrust into what was effectively a three-on-one fight (more like a dozens-on-one fight, if you include the studio audience). He was the lone dissenter against a pack of braying fanatics, egged on by a motley trio consisting of a grifter and two useful idiots, one of whom is the most famed enforcer of liberal dogma from decades past.

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Lamont Sends $8 Million to Fund Connecticut Summer Enrichment Program

Ned Lamont

An investment of federal funds will benefit schoolchildren throughout Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced $8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds will be invested in the Summer Enrichment Program. The funding will be sent to the Department of Education, which will disperse the funds to programs designed to help students continue to be connected to high-quality education programs when school is not in session.

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Albemarle School Board over 2019 Anti-Racism Policy

Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell said Friday he would dismiss a lawsuit against the Albemarle County School Board; in the lawsuit, a group of parents argued that anti-racist school policy required “the indoctrination of Albemarle students in an ideology that denigrates students—all students—based on their race.

“The policy violates students’ civil rights by treating them differently based on race and by compelling them to affirm and support ideas contrary to their deeply held moral and religious beliefs,” said a press release from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing the plaintiffs.

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GOP Warns Raffensperger of Stacey Abrams’ Voter-Education Initiative for Georgia Students: Report

Republicans in the U.S. House sent Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger a letter flagging a report that a voter-education initiative spearheaded by Stacey Abrams is teaching students the state’s laws restrict voting, The Washington Times reported Thursday.

The letter, written by Reps. Rodney Davis of Illinois and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, asked Raffensperger how he plans to combat the initiative, which is taught in Atlanta’s public schools, the Washington Times reported. It was also sent to members of the Georgia State Elections Board and the chair and vice-chair of the Fulton County Elections Board, the Washington Times reported.

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Pennsylvania Has Lost 30,000 Nursing Home Workers Since Start of Pandemic

Staff member at nursing home showing smartphone to elderly woman

Jobs in nursing and residential care facilities fell dramatically during the pandemic and have yet to recover. Due to economic factors and long-term aging trends in Pennsylvania, bouncing back won’t be easy.

About 202,000 workers were in long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania in March 2020 before the pandemic hit, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since then, the numbers have fallen to 172,300 as of February. The worker loss may have finally ended, as preliminary figures for March show 172,700 workers.

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Commentary: Retirees Turn Detective to Find ‘Lost’ Pensions

When Sam Semilia toted up his retirement finances, he was pretty sure that he was due a pension from his time working as a steam engineer for the Diamond Crystal salt company four decades before. Salty is one way to describe the search for his money, a four-year odyssey filled with shredded paper trails and assorted dead ends, along with a brief history of modern American capitalism.

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Proclamation Under Consideration to Nullify the Censure of Maricopa County Republican Party Chair Mickie Niland over Election Integrity

Legislative District 12 Republicans censured Maricopa County Republican Party Chair Mickie Niland for “apparent bias against election integrity” last week, but some conservatives opposed the move and now a proclamation has been proposed for Maricopa County Republican executive board members and Arizona Republican Party board members to nullify the censure. Signed by major conservative leaders in the party, including Rep. Andy Biggs (R-03-Ariz.), State Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), and MCRC Secretary Dan Grimm, it lists her strengths, which include championing election integrity, and calls for her to continue holding the office.

State Rep. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), one of the leading champions of election integrity in the Arizona Legislature, sponsoring numerous bills in that area, told The Arizona Sun Times, “Mickie Niland has been a warrior in the trenches for election integrity. She’s been a tireless champion for conservative values for more than a decade. There are few leaders in the Party, anywhere in the country, who have done more to fight the establishment and defend freedom than Chairwoman Niland.”

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‘Detransitioners’ Come Out Against Sex Change Procedures and Gender Ideology

Young women who regretted undergoing sex changes in their adolescent years spoke about their experiences and the adults who allowed them to transition in a Tuesday Substack article by Suzy Weiss.

The women, sometimes referred to as “detransitioners,” were given extreme biomedical interventions ranging from hormones and puberty blockers to double mastectomies in adolescence to relieve their gender dysphoria, according to the article. Several blamed the adults in their lives for failing them.

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Fed Report: Inflation Passed on to Consumers, Will Continue for Months

Newly compiled data from the Federal Reserve shows that inflation is hurting businesses, costing consumers, and likely not going away anytime soon.

The Federal Reserve released its “Beige Book,” a report that compiles reports from “Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources” from the 12 Fed districts around the country.

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Kemp Creates Commission to Find Solutions to Georgia’s Healthcare Worker Shortage

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order to create a special commission to examine how to fix the state’s healthcare worker shortage.

The 15-member Healthcare Workforce Commission must report its findings to the governor by the end of the year. Recommendations could include loan forgiveness programs, expanding education programs or technology investments.

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Mexican Governor Enhances Border Security Measures After Agreement with Texas Gov Abbott

The governor of the Mexican state Coahuila has enhanced security on his side of the border after an agreement with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to a video Coahuila Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme Solís posted to Twitter Wednesday.

Riquelme Solís met April 14 with Abbott at the Texas Capitol to sign a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) to combat illegal immigration and to clear up traffic on international bridges. In the memo, Riquelme Solis agreed to operate border checkpoints in Mexico and to deploy personnel and motor equipment to prevent certain immigrant crossings at ports.

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DeSantis Signs Bill Banning ‘Woke Indoctrination,’ Critical Race Theory from Workplaces, Public Schools

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 7 into law Friday, the first bill in the nation that bans “corporate wokeness” and Critical Race Theory from being used or taught in the workplace and public classrooms.

The bill includes provisions to prevent discriminatory instruction in the workplace and in public schools and defines individual freedoms “based on the fundamental truth that all individuals are equal before the law and have inalienable rights,” the governor’s office said.

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Federal Court Imposes May 28 Deadline on Ohio Redistricting Commission

A federal court gave the Ohio Redistricting Commission until May 28 to draw state legislative redistricting maps that meet a court order, or it will implement a previously rejected map so the state can hold an Aug. 2 primary.

The three-judge panel, voting 2-1, said it would impose the commission’s third set of maps because the state had started preparing to use those maps before they were declared unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court.

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Still Teflon: The Trump Comeback No One’s Talking About

Former President Donald Trump now enjoys the highest favorability rating among the seven U.S. political leaders tracked in the RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling average, marking a striking political transformation from where he was 15 months ago while leaving office.

Trump has a favorability rating of 45.8%, more than three points higher than President Joe Biden’s rating of 42.6%, according to the RCP average.

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Secret Service Says It Does Not Keep Records on Who Biden Meets at His Delaware Residences

The Secret Service says it does not keep records on who President Biden meets at his residences in Delaware, which he frequently visits during weekends and holidays.

During his inaugural year in office, the president spent about one-quarter of his time at his residences in suburban Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, during which time he took personal time and conducted official business.

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Vice President Kamala Harris Set to Deliver Keynote Address to Graduates at Tennessee State University

Vice President Kamala Harris will headline Tennessee State University (TSU)’s 2022 Spring Commencement next month as the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Vice President Harris will deliver the keynote address for the undergraduate Commencement on May 7th.

Vice President Harris will address nearly 900 graduates, as well as their families and friends, in Hale Stadium. TSU, located in the heart of Nashville, is one of seven historically black universities (HBCU) located in Tennessee.

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Commentary: Economically Free States Are Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic More Rapidly Than High Control States

The fact that our nation’s unemployment rate is approaching the low rate of 3.5% that was reached just prior to the pandemic should be a cause for celebration. But for a variety of reasons, the official unemployment number is misleading.

The employment situation is not as rosy as it may seem. There is a wide disparity among the states that can be explained by how much economic freedom they allow, including how severely each state shut down its economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch Promises to Fight for ‘A Good Living’ in New Ad

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch, who is running in the GOP primary, released a new ad with a promise to fight for “a good living” for residents of the state.

Kleefisch, whose campaign has been boosted by state and national Republicans, contended she would help individuals more than incumbent Governor Tony Evers.

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Sources: Internal Polling Shows Oz 10 Points Ahead of McCormick in Pennsylvania

Internal polling shows Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz surging past rival David McCormick by 10 points, according to sources close to the candidate’s campaign not authorized to talk to the press.

McCormick, a former hedge-fund executive and former undersecretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush, spent several weeks as the frontrunner in the Republican primary that will be decided on May 17, but recent public polls showed Oz quickly closing that gap.

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Arizona Leaders Disappointed at Ducey’s Plan with 25 Governors to Secure the Border

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and 25 other governors launched the American Governors’ Border Strike Force on Tuesday to combat the expected surge in migrants and crime on the border when the Biden administration lifts the Title 42 restrictions in May. A statement from Ducey describes it as “a partnership to do what the federal government won’t: secure the southern border,” but some Arizona leaders are disappointed, believing it doesn’t go far enough.

Leading gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake expressed her skepticism of Ducey’s plan during an interview on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, saying he’s only taken “little pieces” from her border security plan. “We already have an invasion at our border … It’s going to get worse … the floodgates are open,” she said. “The question is, do we have the elected officials who are willing to do the tough work. And that means finishing that wall on the border. The materials are right there. The federal government abandoned them at the border and we need to take those materials back and finish the wall and get troops on the border.” 

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Ohio Attorney: Ohio Elections Commission ‘Hamstrung Voters’ by Delaying Investigation into Blystone’s Campaign Finances

The attorney representing the Ohio woman who filed a campaign finance complaint against businessman Joe Blystone’s gubernatorial campaign blasted the Ohio Elections Commission (OEC), saying the government organization has done a disservice to voters by failing to take action against Blystone’s campaign for alleged financial mismanagement. 

“They hamstrung the voters,” Curt Hartman, attorney for complainant Mary Cappellan, told The Star Friday. “The heart of campaign finance is full disclosure and information available to the voting public. It’s disappointing in the Elections Commission’s initial delay that they didn’t appreciate that that’s why they exist.” 

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Emory University, Claiming Racism, Drops Honorific Names of Two Alumni

Emery University, Georgia’s largest private college, has decided to drop the honorofic names of two of its alumni, citing racism. 

“Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves will rename campus spaces and professorships honoring Robert Yerkes, a psychologist who vigorously supported eugenics, and L.Q.C. Lamar, who was a staunch defender of slavery,” a statement from the school said. “The Yerkes National Primate Research Center will be known as the Emory National Primate Research Center, effective June 1. Professorships in the Emory School of Law named after Lamar will become the Emory School of Law Distinguished Professors.”

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Connecticut to Use New Math Curricula to Benefit Students

Classroom of students.

Middle and high school students in Connecticut will benefit from a new curriculum, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor, along with Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, announced a new statewide curriculum for math students around the state. The first phase features math instruction for students in grades 6 to 8 and financial literacy courses for students in grades 6 to 12.

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Trump Jr. Shares Video Shredding Mandel for Establishment Ties

With the Trump family squarely in the camp of J.D. Vance, running for U.S. Senate in Ohio, Donald Trump Jr. shared a video of Vance’s main opponent lying about his involvement with “establishment Republicans.”

“Ohio friends – Meet the real @JoshMandelOhio. The Club for Chinese Growth backed establishment candidate in the #OHSen race,” Trump Jr. said in a Tweet, sharing the video. 

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Renacci Blasts Paduchik for ‘Fake News’ About Campaign Loan

Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Congressman Jim. Renacci (R) blasted Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Bob Paduchik, who falsely accused him of repaying a $4 million loan given to his own campaign. 

“The Ohio Republican Party Chairman needs an accounting lesson. Four minus four plus four equals four. No wonder the ORP’s books are a mess,” Renacci said. “The establishment knows we are going to win this election and are resorting to low fake news attacks in the final days to try to distract from all of DeWine’s failures.” 

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