Christian Student Silenced by School Receives Settlement

A college student will receive a massive settlement from his school after it tried to silence him from speaking about his faith, according to a Wednesday press release from Alliance Defending Freedom.

Georgia Gwinnett College settled with Chike Uzuegbunam for $80,000 six years after the lawsuit was first filed, which alleged that the school repeatedly denied him the right to speak about his Christian faith to other students, the press release said.

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Tennessee Attorney General Asks Court to Allow State’s Heartbeat Law to Be Enforced Sooner While Awaiting Near-Total Abortion Ban to Become Effective

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling Friday that overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced his office has asked the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the district court’s injunction and allow the state’s heartbeat law to go into effect as soon as possible.

The attorney general’s request to allow the state’s law banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected – generally at six weeks’ gestation – is a temporary measure until, in 30 days, the state’s 2019 Human Life Protection Act, a law that bans most abortions at any time, except those to save the life of the mother, can be enforced.

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Report: Nashville Will Ask for $700 Million in Revenue Bonds for New Tennessee Titans Stadium

Metro Nashville is expected to ask for $700 million in revenue bonds that will go toward a new estimated $2.2 billion Tennessee Titans stadium, according to a report from The Tennessean.

Those bonds, as shown in Mayor John Cooper’s Capital Improvements Budget, as an expense that will be paid for “by user-generated sales tax, tourism-oriented sources such as the Hotel Occupancy Tax and related funds.”

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Biden Administration to Alter Title IX Regulations in Favor of ‘Transgender’ Students

On Thursday, the Biden Administration’s Education Department announced its proposed changes to Title IX that would drastically affect school athletics across the country, in the name of protecting “transgender” rights.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the proposed changes would completely eliminate the concept of gender-specific sports and spaces, such as restrooms and locker rooms, and would allow students to freely use whichever facilities they feel like. The new regulations would also label any instances of someone not using proper “pronouns” as sexual harassment.

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Democratic Candidates Waste No Time Begging for Money Off Dobbs Decision

Democratic candidates running for office and other liberals immediately began using the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade to raise funds Friday.

Democrat Attorney General John Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who is running to replace Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, posted a fundraising request on Twitter at 10:20 AM Friday, nine minutes after SCOTUSBlog tweeted news of the decision.

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Commentary: Abortion ‘Sanctuary’ States Pose Grave Risks to Vulnerable Women

With Roe v. Wade no longer dictating abortion laws, state lawmakers are taking up the fight. Both pro-life and pro-abortion actors are asking the same question: Are we ready for “life after Roe”?

Many states are enacting laws to protect the lives of preborn children. The laws range from Oklahoma’s “life begins at conception” law to Wisconsin’s, which would protect the unborn after 20 weeks’ gestation.

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Survey: 66 Percent of Ohioans Say They Won’t Bet on Sports

Legal sports betting is still more than six months away, but more than two-thirds of Ohio adults say they don’t plan to place any wagers when it becomes legal, according to a new survey.

Legal sports wagers can be placed Jan. 1, but the survey by BetOhio.com shows 21% of Ohio adults are very or somewhat likely to bet. The survey also showed potential preferred brands for those who expect to wager.

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Walz Commissioner Expresses ‘Deep Disagreement’ with Dobbs Decision in Staff-Wide Email

One of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s agency heads expressed his “deep disagreement” with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in a staff-wide email Friday.

“I know that for so many of you, in particular women in our agency, this is a very difficult day. My heart is with you, and I share a deep disagreement with the court’s decision today,” Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove wrote from his state email address to all agency staff, according to an email obtained by Alpha News.

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Education Voucher Program Works Its Way Through the Pennsylvania Senate

Pennsylvania Capitol Building

The Pennsylvania General Assembly has moved another step closer in creating a scholarship program for students in underperforming schools to transfer elsewhere.

HB2169, narrowly passed in the House in April, would grant a $6,800 Lifeline Scholarship to students in the bottom 15% of the lowest-performing schools and allow them to use the money on tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses.

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Georgia Republicans Hopeful That State Can Reinstitute Fetal Heartbeat Law That Restricts Abortion

Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion could allow Georgia to reinstitute its fetal heartbeat law that bars most abortions after about six weeks.

On Friday, the nation’s highest court overturned Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade, a ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right. The opinion comes in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban.

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Crist Calls for Kavanaugh, Gorsuch to Be Impeached over Abortion Ruling

Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist, the former Republican governor of Florida who’s running as a Democrat hoping to defeat incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, said Friday that Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh should be impeached if they lied under oath during their Senate confirmation hearings.

Crist’s call comes after Gorsuch and Kavanaugh joined in a majority U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn two landmark abortion cases – Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The decision returns decisions on the legality of abortion back to the states.

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Federal Prosecutors: Envigo Plans to Sell 2,200 More Beagles

After a court decided to allow dog-breeder-for-testing Envigo to fulfill existing contracts to sell its dogs amid an ongoing federal lawsuit, 29 Virginia legislators and federal prosecutors are working to block the sale of what prosecutors say is 2,200 beagles, including 1,200 to international customers.

In a motion for clarification U.S. prosecutors filed Friday, prosecutors suggest that Envigo misled the court about the number of dogs it intended to sell.

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Republicans Rumble in Final Forum for Arizona Sec State and Treasurer

The grassroots organization America Pack put on its last Republican primary debate Friday night, featuring the candidates for Arizona Secretary of State followed by the candidates for Arizona State Treasurer. During the first debate, Secretary of State candidate and current State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) took an aggressive stance toward her opponents, and her fellow Republicans responded in kind. 

During the second debate, State Representative Jeff Weninger (R-Chandler) went after the sitting treasurer, Kimberly Yee, who responded back just as feistily.

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Commentary: Republicans Have an Opportunity to Help the Middle Class

Right now, Americans are experiencing the dire effects of the most regressive and unjust tax of all: government-engineered and government-fueled inflation. Let us consider the matter. What is an extra $50 at the gas tank to the rich man? He can absorb the loss. What if a box of cookies at Walmart costs $5 instead of $2? He doesn’t go there anyway. Why, he can offset the extra expense of the high price of oil, which becomes the extra expense of everything else either made of oil or delivered by oil or gasoline, by eating at home a little more often than at his favorite restaurant.

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Biden Signs Bipartisan Gun Control Measure Supported by 29 Republicans

President Joe Biden on Saturday signed bipartisan gun control legislation meant to take guns out of the hands of individuals deemed a threat, though critics say that’s a violation of due process rights. The measure also imposes more thorough background checks on buyers under the age of 21.

It does not include a ban on AR-15-style weapons or limit the number of bullets in magazines.

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Ousted Immigration Judge Sounds Off on Biden Administration Purge

A former immigration judge who was fired by the Justice Department claimed that the Biden administration was packing immigration courts on Fox News Tuesday.

“The Biden Administration is trying to turn the court into essentially a free candy store so that anyone who appears in front of the immigration court winds up getting some benefits or winds up being allowed to stay in the United States,” Matthew O’Brien told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “That is not what the courts were designed to do.”

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Ohio Group Voices Support for Anti-School-Choice Lawsuit in West Virginia

An Ohio group that has been fighting against school choice vouchers in its own state is expressing support for a lawsuit that is seeking to halt a West Virginia school voucher program.

As Ohio lawmakers have considered legislation to expand school choice, the group called Vouchers Hurt Ohio stated that lawmakers are looking at other states, such as West Virginia, for how to craft their school choice programs.

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Protests Rage Nationwide after Roe Reversal, Arizona Lawmakers Say ‘Insurrection’ Thwarted by Police

Protests erupted across America Friday night as abortion rights activists objected to the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision, creating a particularly tense stand-off in Arizona’s Capitol where lawmakers reported being trapped by an angry mob that had to be dispersed with tear gas.

“We are currently there being held hostage inside the Senate building due to members of the public trying to breach our security,” Arizona state Sen. Kelly Townsend tweeted Friday night. “We smell teargas and the children of one of the members are in the office sobbing with fear.”

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Former Speaker of Tennessee House Beth Harwell Issues Statement in Support of National Guard Members

Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell issued a statement in support of the National Guard members who are scheduled to be fired on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“The Biden Administration’s forced COVID-19 vaccination policy for men and women in the military is absolutely wrong and it’s another example of more overreach by the federal government,” said Harwell.

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Blackburn Blasts Trans Sports on 50th Anniversary of Title IX

A U.S. Senator from Tennessee blasted transgender sports allowing biological men to compete against biological females Thursday, on what was the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

“Joe Biden is intent on erasing women and their historical accomplishments. No matter what the left says, men and women are created physically different – that’s a fact,” Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Tennessee Star. “What Joe Biden is seeking to implement in female sports will result in two teams – one team of men and another team of folks that used to be men. It is extremely unfair to female athletes like Riley Gaines, that have dedicated their entire life to a sport only to be defeated by an athlete that was a man just three years ago.” 

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Left Claims Supreme Court Ruling Will ‘Harm’ Black Women, But Black Pro-Lifers Look to a New ‘Womb Equality’

As reactions abound in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, many on the left expressed their outrage by claiming the ruling will harm black and other minority women, but pro-life women of these communities wholeheartedly disagree and applaud the Court for “finally” righting their “wrongly decided law.”

“The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Court’s decision,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “This decision deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States. It will have an immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people across the country. And it will be greatly disproportionate in its effect – with the greatest burdens felt by people of color and those of limited financial means.”

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TN-5 Candidate Andy Ogles Says SCOTUS Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade is ‘Answer to Prayer’

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, a candidate in the August 4 Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat, said in a statement, the “SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return decision-making authority to the people is an answer to prayer.”

Ogles talked about the historic nature of the decision and the importance defending the unborn.

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Congressional Leaders Criticize DOJ for Silence on Pro-Life Org Attacks, FBI Say It’s Investigating

After Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) joined more than 120 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding an investigation into violence against pro-life groups, the DOJ responded with silence. 

“More than seven weeks ago, we woke up to headlines that the Supreme Court of the United States would likely overturn Roe v. Wade,” Rose said Thursday in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House. “I believe the leaker broke federal law in an effort to change the High Court’s ruling.”

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U.S. Supreme Court Abortion Ruling Makes Virginia an Abortion Haven, Triggers Wave of Political Statements

The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade launched a wave of statements from Virginia politicians on Friday. Abortion remains legal in Virginia with some limitations, and split control of Virginia’s government leaves both Republicans and Democrats seeking to use the issue to motivate their own voter base. Pro-choice protesters held multiple rallies across Virginia on Friday, with more planned for the weekend.

Governor Glenn Youngkin has largely been quiet about abortion, but on Friday he released two statements reacting to the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling. Additionally, Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said Youngkin is pushing for a 15-week abortion ban.

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Walter Blackman and Shawnna Bolick Among Arizona Officials Who Applaud the Landmark SCOTUS Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

Arizona State Representatives Walt Blackman (R-Sedona) and Shawnna Bolick (R-San Miguel) are among Arizona officials who released a statement applauding the landmark decision from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturns Roe v. Wade.

“As state legislators, we support protecting all lives, especially our most vulnerable. We will continue to advocate for families and promote life. Now that Roe has been overturned, decisions about abortion policy become a states’ rights issue,” the representatives said in a joint statement.

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Wisconsin Democrats Condemn, Republicans Celebrate End of Roe

The reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the end of abortion in Wisconsin is clear and split by political party.

Wisconsin is one of nearly two dozen states where abortion is now illegal because Roe is no more as a result of its decision in the case, Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  

Republican leaders at the Wisconsin Capitol celebrated the 6-3 SCOTUS decision.

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Tong, Lamont Speak Out Against Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade Decision

Connecticut’s top law enforcement official said Friday he would sue to prevent a nationwide ban on abortions.

Attorney General William Tong said following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark decision that prevented states from banning abortions, that if Congress tries to invoke legislation that would ban abortions across the nation, he would be the first to take court action.

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Arizona Attorney General Alleges DHS Is Abusing Parole Authority by Releasing Criminal Illegal Aliens into Communities

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Texas v. United States, which focuses on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerous Permanent Guidance.

“This policy is another example in the shameful list of actions that the Biden administration is taking to hobble immigration enforcement and encourage border crossings,” Brnovich said in a press release. “It has and continues to cause the Amici States extensive harm through increased law enforcement, education, and health care expenditures.”

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Sparks Fly at U.S. Senate GOP Primary Debate in Arizona Between Brnovich, Lamon, Masters, McGuire, and Olson

The first Republican primary debate for the U.S. Senate race in Arizona took place Thursday night in downtown Phoenix, organized by Freedomworks. Three candidates polling in the lead participated; Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, solar billionaire businessman Jim Lamon, and Trump-endorsed, Thiel Foundation President Blake Masters. Two candidates who are lagging in the polls also debated; former Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard Mick McGuire, and former Arizona legislator Justin Olson.

The debate got quite heated at times, with the candidates calling each other out and the audience often wildly cheering or loudly booing (even though they had been asked to remain silent at the beginning). Lamon and Masters, the candidates with the most money in the race, have been running TV ads attacking each other the last few weeks, and those attacks played out throughout the evening. 

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Republican U.S. Senate Hopeful Jim Lamon: ‘We Must Beat Mark Kelly in This Race’

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon appeared Thursday with four of his fellow Republicans at a debate to address a broad range of issues important to Copper State Republicans. Hosted by FreedomWorks, the gathering marked the last opportunity for the candidates to confront one another on stage as they vy for the Republican nomination to go on to face Democratic incumbent, Senator Mark Kelly.

“Arizona holds the key to the United States of America in the Senate race. We must beat Mark Kelly in this race. You need to pick someone who’s a fighter. You hear a lot of talk up here tonight. You hear a lot of talk in the campaign. Pick someone who does things, who’s gotten stuff done in this country, who’s been a veteran, who’s built billion-dollar companies. Someone you can trust,” said Lamon in his opening statement.

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Virginia Budget Includes Some Wins for Both Businesses and Workers

Virginia’s FY 2023-2024 budget includes some wins for both businesses and workers, according to pro-business organization NFIB Virginia and pro-labor organization Virginia AFL-CIO. General Assembly negotiators have emphasized the compromise nature of the budget, but flashy proposals on tax relief, education, and law enforcement have gotten most of the attention.

“Governor Youngkin and legislators agreed on many issues that are important to Virginia’s small business, including full funding of the commonwealth’s unemployment insurance program, but we’re disappointed that so some key issues didn’t make the final cut, like the three-month suspension of the fuel tax,” NFIB Virginia State Director Julia Hammond said in a press release.

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