Kari Lake Leads Katie Hobbs with Millions in Ads from GOP Governors Association and Superior Independent Support

As the heated Arizona gubernatorial campaign between Trump-endorsed Kari Lake and Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs continues, Lake is pulling ahead with spending related to her campaign. Through a funding maneuver, Republicans figured out how to adjust their TV ad buys in order to get better purchasing power, allowing them to obtain more than double the spots Democrats had purchased. At the same time, independent expenditures (IEs) in the race greatly favor Lake over Hobbs by over four to one.

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) has spent over $4 million on ads attacking Hobbs. That strategy is shifting, as the RGA has decided to coordinate with the Yuma Republican Party in order to get more out of their money. Since candidates and their local political parties get better airtime rates than outside groups, the RGA will fund the Yuma GOP $6.5 million to buy a total of $7.1 million in ads through election day on Nov. 8. State law allows political parties to coordinate with candidates, not out-of-state independent expenditure (IE) organizations. The first ad attacked Hobbs on border security and the second ad on taxes and spending.

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Gun Manufacturer Smith & Wesson Sued over July 4th Parade Shooting

The popular gun manufacturing company Smith & Wesson is facing nearly a dozen lawsuits over a July 4th parade shooting in Illinois, where the perpetrator used one of the company’s guns in the attack.

According to ABC News, 11 different lawsuits were filed on Wednesday by family members of the victims of the shooting in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago, claiming with no evidence that the company “illegally” targeted its ads towards young men who are most likely to commit acts of violence.

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Commentary: Durham Prosecutes FBI Informants, Protects Their Handlers

Since being named special counsel in October 2020, John Durham has investigated or indicted several unscrupulous anti-Trump informants. But he has spared the FBI agents who handled them, raising suspicions he’s letting investigators off the hook in his waning investigation of misconduct in the Russiagate probe.

In recent court filings, Durham has portrayed the G-men as naive recipients of bad information, tricked into opening improper investigations targeting Donald Trump and obtaining invalid warrants to spy on one of his advisers.

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Medical Boards Punishing Doctors Exercising Independent Judgment to Practice Medicine

Various medical boards, and now even a California bill, threaten doctors who have exercised their independence from the government’s narrative in their efforts to discuss the risks of the COVID mRNA shots and the benefits of early treatments for COVID-19 with their patients.

Certification boards such as the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ABOG), and the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) have all been named in a federal lawsuit filed in July by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Educational Foundation (AAPS) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.  

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Tennessee Textbook Commission Requests Additional Staff Following Passage of Library Materials Law

The Tennessee textbook commission expressed their need for additional staff and an attorney, following the library materials law, requiring schools to catalog and publicize their list of library and classroom materials.

Director of Schools for Bradley County and Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission chair Linda Cash spoke to the legislative subcommittee that the law has added a lot of work “to people who already have a full load.”

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Memphis Rampage Killer Ezekiel Kelly Charged with Two More Murders

Shelby County’s District Attorney Wednesday announced more than two dozen new charges against the man who went on a rampage killing spree in Memphis on September 7.

“Ezekiel Kelly has been indicted on 26 additional charges related to the September 7th shooting spree, including two homicides, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Steve Mulroy,” according to a release from Mulroy’s office.

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New York Times on Trans Teens’ Elective Mastectomies: ‘Better Aligns Bodies with Experience of Gender’

“More trans teens are choosing ‘top surgery,’” reads a Monday New York Times headline of a story that highlights the practice of a Miami “top” surgeon who posts photos on TikTok touting her work with the phrase, “Yeet the Teet,” a reference to breast removal.

The Times uses the example of a girl, 17, who is referred to as “Michael,” posing for photos of her newly revealed chest, with breasts, and now bandages, removed, alongside her mother and her “top surgeon,” Dr. Sidhbh Gallagher, who posts the photos on her social media platforms for all her “followers” to see the results.

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Memphis City Council Discusses the Enforcement of Curfew for Minors Under 18 Years Old

During a public safety committee, on Tuesday, The Memphis City Council discussed strictly enforcing the Memphis curfew for children 17 and under.  

Vice Chairman Martavius Jones said, “Juvenile Crime has spiked over the years…I commend our men and women in blue for all that they are doing. However, the things that are on the books, we definitely want to make those things happen…One thing that we do know, if they are in the house, a lot of this wouldn’t be happening. If they [children] were at home, under parental supervision, some of these things wouldn’t be happening.”

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Government Agencies Buying Cellphone, Internet Data to Track Americans

In a little noted trend, law enforcement agencies at every level of government are increasingly buying data from private, third-party data brokers on Americans’ phone and internet activities in order to track them, often without a warrant.

While proponents say this practice provides critical help for investigations, critics argue it poses a serious violation of civil liberties that needs to be addressed through legislation.

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U.S. Treasury Department Awards $125 Million to Georgia-Based Financial Institutions

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has awarded more than $125 million to Georgia-based institutions under programs that support community financial institutions to help small and minority-owned businesses.

The 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act established the Emergency Capital Investment Program. Under the program, the feds allocated $9 billion to Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions.

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Three Minnesota Counties Hit with Complaints for Hundreds of Duplicate Voter Registrations

The first three of several legal complaints have been filed against Minnesota county auditors who failed to remove duplicate voter registrations from the state system.

With the assistance of the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC), the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a nationwide election integrity nonprofit, filed complaints against Nicollet County, Hennepin County, and Dakota County this week for failing to comply with the law in removing duplicate names from the Minnesota Statewide Voter Registration Service (SVRS).

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Ohio Senate Candidate Ryan Fundraises in California, Says Absence Is Owed to ‘Public Health Emergency’

U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio-13) spurred a firestorm of Republican reprehension this week after he declared himself unable to attend House proceedings “due to the ongoing public emergency” and then went to Los Angeles, California for a fundraiser.

Ryan reportedly traveled to the Hollywood home of Jay Sures, currently the vice chair of United Talent Agency, for a campaign event expected to bring $100,000 into the congressman’s coffers. The candidate, who faces Republican attorney, venture capitalist and author J.D. Vance on November 8, permitted Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4) to cast proxy votes in his absence. Later on Ryan’s agenda during his Golden-State visit was a Thursday-morning event featuring numerous Hollywood celebrities, including actors Brian Tyler Cohen and Howie Mandel. 

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Tennessee Republicans Send Letter to Vanderbilt Medical Center Asking to Halt Trans Surgeries

A large group of Tennessee Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Board of Directors, asking the organization to stop performing gender transition surgeries for minors. 

“This is a time in which elected leaders must boldly lead and speak on behalf of the people. I’ve been joined by my esteemed [Tennessee House GOP] colleagues in formally requesting that Vanderbilt Medical halt all gender transition surgeries on minors,” said State Rep. Jason Zachary (R-District 14) on Twitter, attaching a copy of the letter. 

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Philadelphia Victims’ Relatives Testify About Krasner’s Work as District Attorney

Pennsylvania’s House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order heard from mothers of recent Philadelphia murder victims on Thursday morning to gather perspective on District Attorney Larry Krasner’s (D) job performance. 

In a video-recorded interview, Jennifer Meleski, the mother of 24-year-old Chuckie Maude who was murdered in the city’s Kensington neighborhood in 2021, shared her frustration with the city for creating an atmosphere in which gun violence abounds. She blamed Krasner for hamstringing police by pressing charges against officers who “stop and frisk” people on suspicion they are illegally carrying weapons. 

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Youngkin Issues State of Emergency, Activating Price-Gouging Act Ahead of Remnants of Hurricane Ian

Governor Glenn Youngkin has issued a state of emergency, triggering Virginia’s price-gouging laws ahead of heavy rain and gusty winds, remnants of Hurricane Ian, expected to hit Virginia beginning on Friday.

“In addition to making smart decisions and keeping up with news developments during a statewide emergency declaration, Virginians must also support each other during this potentially hazardous time,” Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a Thursday press release. “Any violations of Virginia’s Anti-Price Gouging Act or exploitation of Virginians’ wallets will be thoroughly prosecuted through the Virginia Consumer Protection Act by my office. Bad actors will be held accountable.”

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Rep. Bob Good Uses Clash with Spanberger to Highlight Her ‘Radical’ Stance

Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) is highlighting how “radical” Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) by citing the recent incident where Spanberger cursed at him at the Virginia congressional delegation meeting with Governor Glenn Youngkin last week.

Good said on The John Fredericks Show that while the congressmen were presenting feedback to Youngkin, “two members of the delegation decided to take that time to attack the governor for his common-sense, parents first, children first policies.”

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Plaintiffs Get Partial Win in Lawsuit over Winchester Gun Ban Ordinance

A circuit court has granted a temporary injunction blocking City of Winchester’s ban on guns in parks and public permitted events, but leaves intact a ban on guns in city buildings. That’s a partial win for the plaintiffs well over a year after the lawsuit was first filed.

“Boy, do the wheels of justice turn slowly in this country, wow,” Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) President Philip Van Cleave told The Virginia Star. “You know, it’s an injunction. We were hoping to get something like that fairly quickly.”

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Maricopa County to Require Press Pass to Cover 2022 Election

Maricopa County announced Tuesday that it will now require a press pass for media personnel to enter its facilities or cover events related to the 2022 General Election.

“Because of logistical and security considerations, it is impossible to give the public and media limitless access to Members of the Board of Supervisors, the County Recorder and election experts for events such as press conferences and availabilities,” according to Maricopa County.

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New Ohio Senate Bill Aims to Make ‘Swatting’ a Felony

In response to 8 Ohio schools going into lock down on Friday, due to an internet hoax that sent false reports about active shooters on their campuses, additional support has been gathered for Senator Andrew Brenner’s (R-Delaware) bill (SB292) to stop ‘swatting’ and making fake emergency calls a felony in the state.

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, ‘swatting’ is: to make a false report of an ongoing serious crime in order to elicit a response from law enforcement (such as the dispatch of a SWAT unit)

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Arizona State Officials Call Upon Katie Hobbs to Reject Universal ESA Law Referendum

Arizona officials are now calling out Secretary of State Katie Hobbs to expedite the signature counting process for the referendum against Arizona’s Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) law, including the bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Ben Toma (R-Maricopa).

“We expect that your office will have formally rejected the referendum petition as legally insufficient no later than the opening of business on Friday morning,” Toma said in a letter to Hobbs. “If the full and effective implementation of H.B. 2853 continues to be obstructed, the Arizona House of Representatives will exercise its constitutional oversight function in order to find facts and ultimately to determine what, if any, legislation may be required to prohibit, deter, and penalize such dishonesty in future campaigns and administrations, and to ensure that the statutory procedures for filing and processing ballot measure petitions cannot be manipulated to enable such misconduct.”

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German Authorities Fear Nord Stream Pipelines May Be Permanently Unusable Following Sabotage

German security officials believe that both Nord Stream 1 and 2 could be damaged beyond repair as large amounts of corrosive saltwater flowed into pipelines following multiple leaks that were discovered on Tuesday, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

European countries found significant gas leaks at three separate locations in the Baltic Sea which caused the pipelines’ pressure to drop, forcing the pipelines to go offline. German authorities are concerned that the saltwater’s damage to the pipelines could make them permanently inoperable which would further cut fuel supplies to an energy-starved Germany, according to The Telegraph, which cited the German outlet Tagesspiegel.

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Border Patrol Calls In ‘Suicidologist’ to Address Rising Suicides Among Rank-and-File

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tapped a “suicidologist” to address the rising suicides among its ranks amid a surge in illegal migration at the southern border, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.

Dr. Kent Corso, who began the role in early 2021 during high migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, was the first to do so for any government entity, according to the Examiner.

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Ohio Task Force 1, First Responders, and AEP Deployed for Hurricane Ian Relief

Ohio Task Force 1 along with Ohio First Responders and American Electric Power “AEP” are deployed to Florida for Hurricane Ian relief. Hurricane Ian is anticipated to make landfall between Wednesday and Thursday and preparations are being made.

As a result of Hurricane Ian strengthening to a Category 4, on Saturday morning at 7:00 am the Federal Emergency Management Agency known as “FEMA” deployed Ohio Task Force 1.

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Ohio’s Fetal Heartbeat Law Stopped for Another 14 Days

Ohio officials are expected to return to court in Hamilton County for a hearing Oct. 7 after a judge extended a ban on the state’s fetal heartbeat bill for another 14 days.

The decision continues to allow abortions in the state through 20 weeks, pausing a state law that stopped most abortions after the first fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks. The law, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in April 2019, went into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year.

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Vast Majority of Economists Predict a Global Recession by 2023

Nearly three quarters of economists believe a global recession is at least somewhat likely to occur by the end of 2023, according to a survey released Wednesday by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Roughly 70% of economists surveyed by the international lobbying group predict that the wave of interest rate hikes and tighter monetary policy that has swept the U.S. and E.U. in an attempt to combat inflation is unlikely to abate, echoing predictions from major financial analyst, Goldman Sachs. Fully 80% of respondents believed that real wages would decline in high-income countries with nearly 90% anticipating real wages declining in low-income countries.

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Open Borders Endangering U.S. Citizens, Illegal Migrants Alike

Lax security at the southern border has unleashed a humanitarian crisis endangering the lives and welfare of U.S citizens and illegal migrants alike — and the Biden administration won’t even acknowledge there’s a problem, border security experts and GOP congressional candidates warn in “On the Ballot, Open Borders,” a new Heritage Action for America special report hosted by John Solomon.

“It’s not only a humanitarian crisis — we have a security crisis going on down there,” said Chad Wolf, acting secretary of homeland security during the Trump administration. 

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Economic Growth in Northeast Pennsylvania Comes with Coal Mine Cleanup

A rush of federal money will boost Pennsylvania’s ability to address abandoned mining land, but the commonwealth will not be able to rely on federal dollars for most of the funding.

The Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee met on Tuesday to discuss the impact of the anthracite coal industry in northeastern Pennsylvania – both its environmental costs and its economic potential.

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Telling a Student to Get an Abortion Could Be a Felony, Idaho Universities Warn

Idaho universities told educators that advising students to get an abortion could result in a felony, according to the Associated Press.

The University of Idaho in Moscow and Boise State University in Boise both issued notes to staff in September warning that “promoting” abortions or abortion services could result in felony charges, according to the AP. Educators are prohibited from advising students on abortion services under the state’s No Public Funds for Abortion Act.

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Commentary: Six Important Issues at Stake in Appropriations Bills

The government’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1, but as per usual, Congress has failed to complete the annual appropriations process to provide spending authority for federal agencies.

Congress will enact a continuing resolution to maintain current spending and policy, and to prevent a partial government shutdown of nonessential programs, but Americans concerned about inflation should hope that resolution extends into the new year and the new Congress.

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Tim Ryan Says America Is Ready to Ban Gas Cars Despite Driving an SUV

Democratic Ohio Senate nominee Tim Ryan previously called for a ban on gas cars; however, in one of his campaign ads Ryan was featured driving a large, gas-guzzling SUV.

Ryan, who is also a congressman, indicated that Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont’s plan to ban gas vehicles by 2040 did not go far enough during a 2019 interview after a Democratic primary presidential debate. However, in a campaign video, Ryan drove around his hometown in a 2020 GMC Yukon, which has a fuel efficiency of roughly 13 miles per gallon, according to the Department of Energy.

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‘Gender Affirming’ Pediatric Clinic in Pennsylvania Removes Training Materials After Scrutiny

Hospitals that offer “gender affirming” treatment to minors, from puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to surgery, are taking down evidence of their procedures and related materials in response to public scrutiny.

They have different strategies for explaining their actions, however, from refusing to acknowledge removals to citing “misinformation.” 

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