Judge Says Visa Knew It Was Allegedly Enabling Site to Host Child Porn

U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney allowed Visa to remain a defendant in a lawsuit charging the company with conspiracy in circulating child sexual abuse materials July 29, according to court materials.

Rape and child abuse survivors and victims of porn revenge are suing MindGeek, the company that runs PornHub, for allegedly circulating child sex abuse materials, according to the lawsuit. Carney suggested that Visa holds some responsibility for knowingly profiting off of child pornography.

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Commentary: The Big Lies We Cannot Question

The following was posted on social media recently by a widely respected California-based journalist:

I don’t like being an alarmist but the epidemic of misinformation is becoming critical and increasingly dangerous. It was bad enough when we had a lying POTUS but it is now clear that it’s become a political tactic of a large part of one of our main political parties. And, if one major party can get away with mass lying, so can the other one, so I fear this will spread across ideological boundaries.

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Chris Carr Calls Out George Soros for Installing Partisan District Attorneys

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R) called out billionaire and Open Society founder George Soros for his financial support of progressive district attorneys, a move that has resulted in crime spikes across the nation.

“George Soros has spent tens of millions to elect prosecutors who care more about coddling criminals than about protecting families. Now the Soros family is funding my Democrat opponent because they know I’ll stand up for YOU, not criminals,” Carr wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

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Todd Pembroke for Metro Nashville School Board Says ‘Sign Thief Caught by Detectives in Theft Sting’

A Metro Nashville School Board candidate says that thanks to the Nashville Police Department, an alleged political sign thief was caught red-handed.

“A radical Democrat and follower of Antifa online was caught by Nashville police detectives yesterday evening with over a dozen stolen political signs for Todd Pembroke – Republican School Board candidate for District 2 covering Brentwood and Antioch,” the Todd Pembroke for Metro Nashville School Board campaign said in a press statement obtained by The Tennessee Star.

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Virginia Gas Prices Trend Downward, Now Below $4

As global and national gasoline prices continue to trend downward, the average cost for a gallon of gas in Virginia has fallen below $4.

As of Aug. 2, the average gallon of gas costs about $3.97, according to numbers provided by AAA. For a gallon of diesel, the average cost is dipping closer to $5 per gallon, but still sits at about $5.16. This is much lower than gas prices one month ago, which were about $4.63 for a gallon of regular gas and more than $5.70 for diesel.

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Evers Administration Blames Worker Shortage, Lack of Money for Occupational License Backlog

Wisconsin’s professional licensing department is blaming a lack of employees as well as a lack of money for the months-long delay in getting people their paperwork to go back to work.

The legislature’s Study Committee on Occupational Licensing held a daylong meeting Tuesday where lawmakers pressed Department of Safety and Professional Services leaders, the latter who essentially blamed lawmakers.

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Democrat Gubernatorial Nominee Katie Hobbs Slammed for Poor Job as Secretary of State, Tuesday’s Primary Vote Count in Arizona Described as ‘Glacial’

As vote counting continues in Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial election, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democrat nominee, is being slammed for the slow vote count. 

“Arizona’s glacial vote-counting isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for how Katie Hobbs would perform as governor,” said John Gabriel, editor-in-chief of Ricochet. 

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Florida Department of Education Website Highlights Parental Rights, COVID Guidance

Recent website updates by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), under the recently appointed Commissioner of Education – Senator Manny Diaz, puts a focus on parental rights and COVID guidance.

Diaz’s appointment was announced by the State Board of Education on April 29, 2022.

The website update provides a link at the top of the FDOE home page called “Featured Topics.” The top featured topics listed under the link are “Parental Rights” and COVID-19.

Under the “Parental Rights” tab is a message that states, “Florida is taking bold steps to protect parental rights and ensure the lawfulness of instructional materials. If you believe you have found unlawful materials in your school or you are just unsure how to voice your concerns, please see the helpful information below.”

The “Parental Rights” page lists contact information to share concerns directly with FDOE or with a school’s principal. A link on the page lists contacts for all public school principals in the 67 school districts.

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Pennsylvania Department of Education Instructs Teachers to Host ‘Gender-Neutral Day’ with Southern Poverty Law Center Affiliate’s Resources

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is encouraging teachers to host a “Gender-Neutral Day” for children with resources from the disgraced Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Learning for Justice social justice education program.

The education department’s webpage titled “Gender/Gender Identity: Creating Gender-Inclusive Schools and Classrooms” contains a list of “Words You Should Know,” from “The Gender Spectrum,” which was published in 2013 by SPLC’s former Teaching Tolerance program.

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Herschel Walker Challenges Raphael Warnock to October Debate in Savannah

Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker publicly challenged incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock to a debate in Savannah on Tuesday.

“Senator Warnock, I’m ready to debate. In fact, I just accepted a debate in your backyard, Savannah, where you’ve got home-field advantage, and it’s going to be broadcast statewide. I’m not a politician, I don’t look like a politician, I don’t sound like a politician, and frankly, I’m tired of politicians,” Walker said.

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Mark Brnovich Enters Arizona in a Nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) recently announced that Arizona is joining a nationwide Anti-Robocall Task Force (ARTF) with 50 attorneys general to investigate telecommunication companies responsible for bringing in foreign robocalls to the United States.

“Foreign robocalls have become a threat to our privacy and security, and they need to be stopped,” Brnovich said in a press release. “Our bipartisan coalition seeks to end these illegal and unwanted calls and ensure that offenders are held accountable.”

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Governor Kemp Extends Gas Tax Suspension, Supply Chain State of Emergency

Governor Brian Kemp (R) signed two executive orders on Wednesday that extended the gas tax suspension and renewed the state of emergency for supply chain disruptions. These executive orders will be effective through September 12th.

“I have extended the temporary suspension of the state’s motor fuel tax to alleviate the financial burden placed on Georgians due to the federal government’s gross mishandling of inflation,” Gov. Kemp said. 

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Kentucky Senator Rand Paul Leads First Congressional Hearing on Gain-of-Function Research

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) begins the first congressional hearing on gain-of-function research Wednesday, attempting to determine whether the National Institutes of Health (NIH) used taxpayer funds for gain-of-function experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“Before we even get to whether the virus came from a lab we have to explore were they doing gain of function research?” Paul told Fox News’ Brett Baier Tuesday.

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Matt Gaetz Introduces Bill Banning IRS from Acquiring Ammunition

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced a bill this week that would ban the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from purchasing any more ammunition, after having already reached an alarmingly high amount.

As reported by Just The News, Gaetz’s bill, the “Disarm the IRS Act,” would forbid the tax-collecting agency from buying ammunition after the agency has already acquired up to 5 million rounds. In 2022 alone, the agency has purchased at least $725,000 worth of ammo.

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Commentary: Harvard Faculty Survey Reveals Striking Ideological Bias, but More Balanced Higher Education Options Are Emerging

Outside of Harvard Law School

As a mom of two teenagers who will be forging their pathways to adulthood in the coming years, I am particularly interested in new models of higher education. While college admission certainly isn’t a requirement for my children, I hope that if they choose to pursue a Bachelor’s degree or beyond, the experience is engaging and enlightening, exposing them to a variety of ideas and perspectives.

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Tennessee Approves Federal Spending for COVID-19 Recovery Projects

Tennessee leadership approved $115.5 million more in federal spending on projects related to coronavirus recovery.

Tennessee’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group approved funding for several projects, including more than $51 million to purchase a new retirement management computer program, $32.2 million toward a new Food and Animal Sciences Center at Tennessee State University and $19.4 million to increase the child-care capacities of programs for the Department of Human Services.

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Sixth Circuit Court Grants Restraining Order Against Michigan Abortion Law

The Oakland County 6th Circuit Court late Monday issued a temporary restraining order against the Michigan Court of Appeals’ ruling earlier the same day allowing county prosecutors to enforce Michigan’s 1931 abortion law.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested the emergency ex parte restraining order after the Court of Appeals decision, which was rendered after the state’s 1931 law banning abortion was triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling in June.

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Attorney General Mark Brnovich Finds No Evidence of Deceased Voters in 2020 Election

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) sent a letter to State Senate President Karen Fann (R-Prescott) Monday, stating that after reviewing allegations of deceased voters participating in the 2020 election are insufficient.

“This specific complaint alleged that 282 individuals who were deceased prior to October 5, 2020, voted in the November 3, 2020 general election,” Brnovich said in his letter. “Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead, and many were surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased.”

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AEP Ohio Does Not Want Independent Audit; Prefers State Commission Probe

Ohio’s largest utility company does not want the Public Utility Commission of Ohio to conduct an independent, outside investigation into summer power outages, despite calls from consumer groups.

AEP Ohio, which serves about 1.5 million residential and commercial customers in central, southeast and northwest Ohio, said in a response filed to a recent motion that an independent investigation would be an expensive, time-consuming litigious process while the PUCO is conducting its investigation.

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Commentary: ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ Will Throw Fuel on the Flames of Stagflation

The folly of the Biden administration’s recently announced “Inflation Reduction Act” recalls Orwellian slogans such as “Slavery is Freedom.” The plan will throw fuel on the flames of stagflation while accelerating environmental deterioration. The act would raise an estimated $739 billion through tax increases and heightened IRS scrutiny to then invest $306 billion in “deficit reduction” and $369 billion in “energy security and climate change” to “reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030.” If ever there were a proposal that failed out the gate, this is one.

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Report: Most Americans Living Paycheck to Paycheck After Inflation Spike

Rising prices mean that Americans are spending more on the same goods and services, and as a result more than 60% of U.S. consumers are living paycheck-to-paycheck or dipping into savings to cover their routine costs, a recent LendingClub report found.

The number of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck was up 5.5% in June from a year prior as fully 61% of Americans now devote nearly all of their salaries to expenses with little or nothing left over at the end of the month, according to LendingClub’s report. Americans’ purchasing power has declined in recent months as inflation has outpaced wage increases, making it more difficult to afford normal budgets, the report concluded.

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Soros Vows to Continue Supporting Soft-on-Crime DAs Despite Backlash

On Monday, far-left billionaire George Soros declared that he would continue to financially support district attorneys and other candidates who are explicitly soft on crime, falsely claiming that such candidates will make the criminal justice system “more effective and just.”

The New York Post reports that the 91-year-old Soros, in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, stated that “I have no intention of stopping” his support for prosecutors who deliberately reduce criminal penalties and refuse to enforce certain laws. Soros pointed to such examples as Alvin Bragg, the new District Attorney for Manhattan, whom Soros falsely called “popular” and “effective.”

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Sparks Fly in Contested Williamson County GOP State Senate Primary

Sparks have been flying between Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) and challenger Gary Humble in the GOP nomination contest for Senate District 27, which is set to take place Thursday. 

Mail pieces have flooded mailboxes with attack messages against Humble, and social media attacks on Johnson have been posted by Humble and his nonprofit, Tennessee Stands.

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Mastriano Denounces Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Gender Policies

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) on Tuesday denounced guidelines the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has outlined for the treatment of controversial gender issues in public schools. 

The senator, who is running for governor against Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, particularly objected to recommendations that teachers consider utilizing nonconventional pronouns like “ne, ve, ze and xe” that some who claim to be neither male nor female have begun using to refer to themselves. Mastriano also criticized Governor Tom Wolf (D) and PDE for denying the link between biological sex and the gendered terms (i.e., male and female) that correspond to it. 

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Virginia Localities Receive Their Allocations from Opioid Settlement Payments

Virginia localities have begun receiving payments from an opioid-related settlement with three distributors, which are separate from the state funding and total more than $4 million in the first installment.

McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health agreed to pay the commonwealth and its localities about $530 million for allegedly being involved in higher overdose rates. Virginia will receive about $15 million and the Opioid Abatement Authority will receive more than $9.9 million in the first installment, in addition to the $4 million heading to localities.

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