Day: May 1, 2022

Tennessee Legislature Passes Contract Transparency Bill for Megasite Construction Contracts

The Center Square

The Tennessee Legislature reached an agreement on a bill that could provide more transparency on construction contracts with Ford’s Blue Oval City megasite development in west Tennessee.

The bill could require construction contractors doing more than $100,000 of work at Blue Oval City to disclose details such as number of employees, the state of residence for each worker, union affiliation (if any) and the work they performed to the state building commission and the speakers of both legislative chambers quarterly.

Read the full story

The Media Empire Behind CNN+ Is Pushing a New Show About Teenage Drag Queens

Admin

The Discovery+ network is airing a show about children who dress in hypersexual drag costumes to explore their identities and gain confidence in a new show called “Generation Drag.”

The show will feature five teenagers and their families as they prepare for a performance at “Dragutante,” a drag show aimed at helping young LGBT people express themselves, according to a Discovery+ description.

Read the full story

Commentary: McConnell’s ‘Exhilarating’ Insurrection

Admin

A dirty little secret about January 6—one of many—is that Democrats and establishment Republicans, not Trump supporters, wanted to shut down the official proceedings of that day.

Just as the first wave of protesters breached the building shortly after 2 p.m., congressional Republicans were poised to present evidence of rampant voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Ten incumbent and four newly-elected Republican senators planned to work with their House colleagues to demand the formation of an audit commission to investigate election “irregularities” in the 2020 election. Absent an audit, the group of senators, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) pledged to reject the Electoral College results from the disputed states.

Read the full story

South Dakota Gov. Noem Introduces Herself to Virginia GOP Insiders on Second Day of Advance

Eric Burk

HERNDON, Virginia – Attendees at the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) Advance heard speeches from two GOP governors who are talked about as potential presidential or vice presidential candidates. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin gave the luncheon address on Saturday, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gave a dinner speech that was part self-introduction, part exhortation to RPV insiders.”I cannot thank you enough for what you did here in Virginia last year,” Noem said. “I talk about you everywhere I go.”

Read the full story

U.S. Senator John Cornyn Endorses Herschel Walker in Georgia Senate Race

Aaron Gulbransen

Texas Senator John Cornyn endorsed Herschel Walker in the race for U.S. Senate in Georgia this week, adding his name to a long list of prominent Republicans who have endorsed the leading Georiga GOP candidate.

Polling with over a 50 percent lead in all recent polls testing the GOP primary field, Walker is the favorite to face U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in the November general election.

Read the full story

Michigan Gives $577,400 in Grants for Electric Vehicle Programs

The Center Square

Six private companies will share $577,400 of Michigan funding to expand electric vehicle infrastructure, promote EV adoption, and enhance electric bicycle sharing and charging.

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced Thursday a round of funding that will launch additional EV charging stations, increase access to EVs and expand adoption of EVs with Michigan drivers. More than $577,400 will be appropriated to six mobility projects from the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, which was created through a partnership between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.

Read the full story

Nikki Fried Campaign Consultant Acknowledges Overwhelming Republican Electoral Advantage, Says Fried Is the Answer

Steve Stewart

Kevin Cate, the campaign consultant for Florida gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, recently noted the Republican electoral advantage facing Democrats running for statewide office. Cate previously worked on the 2014 Charlie Crist campaign and the 2018 Andrew Gillum campaign for Florida governor.

In a series of tweets, Cate provided his “perspective on the Florida Democratic primary for Governor and the general election environment.”

Cate tweeted, ” I cannot stress enough how tough of an environment the general will be.”

Read the full story

Lawmakers Slam Northern Arizona University’s Decision to Offer Free Tuition to Half of Arizona Households

Rachel Alexander

While Arizona’s three public universities are demanding tuition increases, at the same time one is also announcing that it will provide free tuition to about half of Arizona households. Northern Arizona University (NAU) said its new financial aid initiative, Access2Excellence, will cover tuition expenses for every Arizona resident who is admitted to the university and has a household income of $65,000 or less. The median family income in Arizona is $65,000.

Read the full story

Boyle Proposes Public Financing of Pennsylvania Legislative Campaigns

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-Philadelphia) this week announced to colleagues his proposal for public funding of some state-legislative campaigns.

The measure would require a candidate to have raised at least $10,000 from “small-dollar donors,” meaning those who have contributed between $1 and $200. State Rep. Boyle would allocate payments to hopefuls amounting to six times the total small-dollar contributions they’ve amassed.

Read the full story

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs Introduce Resolution to Block Proposed Biden Asylum Rule

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson and Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) introduced a measure to block the Biden administration’s plan for the asylum process.

Biden’s proposal, known as “Procedures for Credible Fear Screening and Consideration of Asylum, Withholding of Removal, and CAT Protection Claims by Asylum Officers,” would allow asylum request to be processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials, rather than judges.

Read the full story

Lamont: Sikorsky Deal Keeps Company in Connecticut

The Center Square

An agreement ratified by the General Assembly will keep a military company in Connecticut for years to come, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The governor announced an agreement has been finalized with Lockheed Martin to keep its helicopter manufacturer in the state through 2042. Sikorsky will sustain more than 7,000 jobs in the state under the new deal which could expand helicopter lines being produced at its Straftord facility.

Read the full story

Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Leads Coalition of States Suing Biden Administration over New Rule to Speed Up Asylum When Title 42 Is Rescinded

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has filed another lawsuit against the Biden administration over its lack of defending the southern border. Leading a coalition of 14 states, the lawsuit challenges a new asylum rule that switches much of the authority over granting asylum away from federal immigration judges, giving it to asylum officers with the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is nothing more than a radical attempt to set up a system that encourages illegal immigration and undermines the rule of law,” said Brnovich in a statement. “President Biden may not care about the American people, but I do. I will continue to push back against his unlawful policies and imperial edicts.”

Read the full story

Surprise Home Reassessments Create a Tax Burden in Pennsylvania for New Owners

The Center Square

Spot assessments can be used across Pennsylvania to reassess a property’s value, resulting in higher tax bills for homeowners. According to a new report, Allegheny County’s school districts have driven an increase in spot appeals, increasing assessed values by almost $462 million.

The result is that homeowners must pay more in taxes, incentivizing school districts to request a spot assessment.

Read the full story

Commentary: The True Origins of ‘America First’

Admin

What were America’s founders and their followers trying to foster and preserve by their conduct among nations? What were they trying to put first? Why did the Progressives turn away from these concerns? What did they put first? How dismissive were they of reality? What have been Progressivism’s effects on how America has fared among nations? How have changes in the world and in America itself made it impossible to continue on the Progressive’s course? How would John Quincy Adams and those following his principles manage America’s present international situation?  

By what principles might today’s statesmen put America First?

Read the full story

Disney Executive Who Led Company Response to Florida Bill Leaves Position After Just Three Months

Admin

The Disney executive who helped the company develop its response to Florida’s parental rights bill has left his position after just three months on the job, according to media reports.

Geoff Morrell, who as corporate affairs chief led the company in its ill-fated response to the Florida bill that critics labeled “Don’t Say Gay,” called the job “not the right fit” in a letter to his team obtained by media outlets.

Read the full story

Commentary: Five Key Findings from a Huge Study of Dog Life Expectancy

RealClearWire

Veterinary scientists associated with National Taiwan University and The Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom have completed a massive study of pet dogs’ life expectancy in the United Kingdom, providing unprecedented, evidence-backed estimates of how long owners can expect their pooches to live.

The researchers made use of the VetCompass database for their study. VetCompass is composed of anonymous patient data from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK. During the study period from January 1st, 2016 to July 31st, 2020, the researchers monitored 876,039 dogs from 18 recognized breeds as well as crossbred dogs, observing a total of 30,563 confirmed deaths.

Read the full story

GOP Presses Top Biden Climate Adviser over Alleged Ethics Violations

Admin

Oversight Committee Republicans sent a letter to White House National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy on Thursday, asking her to address an alleged ethics policy violation.

McCarthy met with Manish Bapna, the president and CEO of the environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), at the White House on Oct. 25, 2021, according to official visitor logs, the letter said. But McCarthy, who is President Joe Biden’s top climate adviser, previously served as the NRDC’s president and CEO in 2020, preceding Bapna, according to the letter.

Read the full story