At White House Conference, Biden Appears to Search for House Rep. Who Died Last Month

Joe Biden on Wednesday appeared to commit an awkward gaffe when at a White House conference he apparently attempted to search for a Republican representative who died last month. 

Biden was giving an address at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition & Health, during which at one point he commended organizers for “including bipartisan elected officials” in the event. 

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Ohio Economists Split on Progressiveness of Electric Vehicle Fees

A group of Ohio economists disagree over moves by the state and the country as a whole toward electric vehicles and whether government investment in electric vehicle infrastructure is cost-effective.

Nearly half of the 19 economists at Ohio colleges and universities surveyed by Scioto Analysis said the state’s current $200 annual fee for registering electric vehicles is progressive, while a little more than half believed spending tax dollars on EV infrastructure is likely to be more cost-effective than providing the same amount in tax credits.

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No House Arrest or Curfew for North Dakota Man Who Allegedly Ran Over Republican Teenager After Political Argument

The North Dakota man who admitted to running over 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson with an SUV after a political argument earlier this month, is not under house arrest and has no curfew, Fox News reported.

Shannon Brandt, 41, was released from jail after posting a $50,000 bond on Sept. 20 after he fatally hit Ellington with his vehicle following a street dance at a local bar in McHenry, North Dakota.

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Commentary: Winning Italian Party Unfairly Called ‘Far Right’

Unprecedented fall elections in Italy on Sunday led to a significant shift in the government, which will almost certainly see Giorgia Meloni, head of the relative newcomer political party Brothers of Italy, take over as the nation’s first female prime minister.

Brothers of Italy won the most seats in parliament, after securing about 26% of the vote, and her center-right coalition will have control of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In the lower house, the center-left Democratic Party came in second with about 19% of the vote, the populist 5-Star Movement third with over 15%, the nativist League (Lega) came in fourth, and the center-right Forward Italy party of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi came in fifth, with both Lega and Forward Italy winning over 8%.

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Allowing Fentanyl Test Strips Advances in Pennsylvania Senate

Republican legislators in the General Assembly have embraced a harm-reduction approach to deal with drug overdose deaths.

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced a House bill to legalize fentanyl test strips by removing them from the definition of “drug paraphernalia.” The strips can detect fentanyl in other drugs such as heroin, which can help users avoid accidental overdoses.

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CEO Threatens Company ‘Exit’ from Red States over Abortion Laws Despite Having Investments in China

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said Friday his multinational software company may “exit” Republican states over anti-abortion laws. At the same time, however, Benioff through his business has investments located in China, a country that has engaged in human rights abuses.

“If you’re going to discriminate against our employees, we’re not going to set up shop there,” Benioff said Friday to a CNN anchor asking whether Salesforce is “considering” moving out of places “restricting or outlawing abortion.’”

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Biden Plans to ‘End Hunger’ in America Through the Power of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Biden administration is working to end hunger and “diet-related diseases” by hiring more minority nutritionists, according to a White House plan released Monday.

The administration says that hiring more non-white registered dietitian nutritionists will help minority communities that experience higher rates of “food insecurity,” obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The Health Resources and Services Administration will begin collaborating with Minority Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2023 to recruit and train a diverse crop of nutrition experts as part of the White House’s plan.

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Poll: Arizona Democrats Riding on Abortion Rights to Make Up for Poor Biden Approval

Democrats in Arizona say they’re more interested in November’s election, with abortion laws becoming their battle cry. But, they will have to outwork President Joe Biden’s mid-term approval ratings.

A recent Arizona Public Opinion Pulse poll from OH Predictive Insights found that 59% of Arizona voters think there should be limits on which abortions should be legal in the state, while just 9% say it should be illegal in all instances; the latter category supports a stricter law than the one that is currently on the books in Arizona. Meanwhile, 41% of voters said abortion should be legal in all circumstances.

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Georgia-Pacific Announces $425 Million Investment in Jackson, Tennessee

Georgia-Pacific announced Monday that it would invest at least $425 million to construct a Dixie manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee.

Fernando Gonzalez, Georgia-Pacific’s president of consumer business, said, “Although we have invested to expand existing sites, this is the first new Dixie plant the company has built since 1991. This added capacity will help us meet the needs of our customers as consumer demand for high-quality, durable paper plates and bowls continues to grow.”

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Catholic Leader: Gov. Gavin Newsom Citing Scripture to Promote Taking Life of Unborn Baby ‘Demonic’

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) decision to rent billboard space to use scripture to promote the abortion industry in his state amounts to “demonic behavior,” wrote Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League Tuesday.

Newsom rented billboards in pro-life states – which he refers to as “anti-freedom” states – for ads attacking their abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

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Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Sends Teams to Florida in Response to Hurricane Ian

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) plans to send support to Florida as expected Category 3 Hurricane Ian bears down on the Sunshine State. 

“As Florida braces for the impact of Hurricane Ian, Tennessee emergency service professionals are traveling to the area to help the state prepare and to provide support after the storm,” said Gov. Bill Lee (R) in a press release. “We are proud of men and women who have stepped up to represent the Volunteer State and provide critical, life-saving services to Floridians in need.”

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Commentary: America Is Barreling Toward a Cliff’s Edge Because of Democrats

This November, Americans are facing a simple decision. Voters will choose between common sense and crazy, between affirming America’s values of freedom and prosperity or continuing the far-left’s plunge into lawless chaos.

Last week, Leader Kevin McCarthy released House Republicans’ Commitment to America, a plan to address the issues that matter most to voters — to create a strong economy, a safe nation, a free America, and an accountable government. Republican policies work and can deliver a brighter, more prosperous alternative to Joe Biden and Democrats’ record of high prices, surging crime and failed big government.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Documentary Exposes ‘The Real Anthony Fauci’ in Free October 18 Viewing

The anticipated documentary based on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s New York Times bestseller exposing the influence White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has had on government policy, the pharmaceutical industry, and Americans’ health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be available for free viewing for 10 days, beginning October 18, on the film’s website.

In The Real Anthony Fauci, filmmaker Jeff Hays seeks to reveal Fauci’s motivations behind his authoritarian decrees that kept Americans separated, businesses upended, and children out of schools – all without pushback from the establishment media.

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President of Chattanooga Pride Says Group Considering Changes After Drag Show Debacle

The president of Chattanooga Pride, an LGBT non-profit in the Scenic City, says it is considering updating its guidelines for drag events after a weekend event at a brewery spawned a public relations nightmare for the organization. 

Noah Corbin told The Tennessee Star in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday that the group is considering ways to alert audiences about the more provocative events that the group hosts. 

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Youngkin Administration’s New School Transgender Model Policies Draw 20,000 Public Comments, Student Walkouts, and White House Response

The Virginia Department of Education’s new draft transgender policies received over 20,000 comments on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of the 30-day public comment period.

Comments on the Model Policies on the Privacy Dignity and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools include both support and opposition, and often show strong feeling about the policies.

“We support this policy! God bless Governor Youngkin,” commenter Heather West wrote. “As a parent of six school aged children, I am grateful that Gov Youngkin has chosen to go to bat for us. It is brave to stand up against the tyranny of the rainbow crowd. Onward with more policies that promote REAL education and not social indoctrination. God bless us all as we work to restore truth to our educational institutions.”

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Motion Filed to Defend Michigan’s 1931 Law Criminalizing Abortion

Motions were filed Monday in the Michigan Court of Appeals to allow abortion opponents to intervene as appellants in the legal battle enforcing the state’s 1931 law outlawing abortion.

The Alliance for Defending Freedom, a Texas-based legal group representing Michigan Right to Life and the Michigan Catholic Conference, asked the court to allow it to defend the 1931 law in the ongoing Planned Parenthood of Michigan v. Attorney General of the State of Michigan.

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Ohio Judge Rules Pennsylvanian Needn’t Pay Cleveland Taxes for Work Done from Home

Dr. Manal Morsy

A Cuyahoga County, OH court this week ruled in favor of a Pennsylvania resident employed in Cleveland who argued she did not need to pay taxes to that city for work she did from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The plaintiff, Dr. Manal Morsy, executive vice president at the Athersys biotechnology company who lives in the southeastern Pennsylvania town of Blue Bell, would commute to Cleveland and stay through her workweeks before COVID hit in 2020. Whenever she worked outside of Cleveland previously, she would receive income-tax refunds from the municipality. Pursuant to a state law passed in March 2020 which stated that work from home during the public emergency would be deemed to take place “at the employees principal place of work,” the city collect the municipal income tax from her employer without refunding it. 

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Pennsylvania GOP Gubernatorial Candidate: Biden DOJ ‘Trying to Intimidate’ Conservatives Through Arrest of Catholic, Pro-Life Father

Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Doug Mastriano warned Monday that President Joe Biden’s administration sought to “intimidate” anyone “on the political opposition” through the arrest of a Catholic, pro-life father last week.

Mastriano referred to the early Friday morning arrest of Mark Houck, whose wife told Life Site News that 25-30 FBI agents entered their home around 7 a.m. with “big, huge rifles” to arrest her husband as their children watched, crying and screaming, from the top of the stairs.

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Minnesota High School Scraps ‘Gender-Dependent’ Method of Choosing Homecoming ‘Royalty’

A Minnesota high school has scrapped its traditional “gender-dependent” method of choosing homecoming “royalty.”

White Bear Lake Area High School no longer crowns a “king” and “queen” as part of its annual homecoming celebration, which took place last week. The school’s homecoming committee, with the backing of school administrators, adopted the “language of a royalty court” where the winners are selected “regardless of gender identity.”

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Democrats Propose Strengthening Pennsylvania’s Price-Gouging Act Despite Economists Pointing to Unintended Consequences

State Senator Katie Muth (D-PA-Royersford) announced this week she will introduce legislation to toughen Pennsylvania’s anti-price-gouging law despite economists’ general skepticism about such efforts.

As currently written, the state’s 2006 Price Gouging Act prohibits any entity “within the chain of distribution of consumer goods or services” to sell those products at “an unconscionably excessive price” during an official “state of disaster emergency” or 30 days thereafter. The law defines such a price as “an amount equal to or in excess of 20% of the average price” in the affected region before the emergency declaration.

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Left Rages at Sinema over Filibuster Support

The political left is raging at a U.S. Senator from Arizona who refuses to join her fellow Democrats in abolishing the filibuster. 

“I committed to the 60-vote threshold, it’s been an incredibly unpopular view. I actually think we should restore the 60 vote threshold for the areas in which it has been eliminated already,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said in a speech at the University of Louisville during a conference called The Future of Political Discourse and the Importance of Bipartisanship.

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New Ad Campaign Contrasts Mark Kelly’s Abortion Extremism with Blake Masters’ Pro-Life Views

The Women Speak Out PAC (WSOPAC), a partner of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA), announced today the launch of a $1 million ad exposing Sen. Mark Kelly’s pro-abortion ways in contrast with pro-life Senate nominee Blake Masters.

“Mark Kelly is an abortion radical who backs legislation forcing states to allow abortion on demand, until birth, paid for by taxpayers. This is deeply out of touch with Arizona voters, as well as most Americans,” said Mallory Carroll, national spokeswoman for Women Speak Out PAC.

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Cities Across Ohio Establish ‘Safe Exchange Zones’ for Internet Trades, Purchases

Cities throughout the state have been responding to safety concerns from residents about online purchases by creating monitored safe zones at police stations for transfers of goods.

There are several online platforms such as online auctions, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace, where buyers and sellers will need to meet in person to make a transaction.

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New Ohio Law Gives All Women Access to Preventive Breast Screening

House Bill (HB) 371 “The Breast Cancer Bill” was signed into law Friday by Governor Mike DeWine. The new legislation brings more access to additional breast cancer screenings for all women throughout the state.

“The bill originally passed the Ohio House with zero opposition testimony, and 89 representatives voting in favor and only two against – a rarity for politics, even in Ohio. With bipartisan support, and unanimous support from Ohio’s medical community, HB 371 is a powerful example of what laws can accomplish,” the bill’s joint sponsor and State Representative Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati) said.

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Richmond Mayor Stoney Asks U.S. Health Secretary to Investigate Loopholes in Low-Income Drug Pricing for Hospitals

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is calling on U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to investigate low-income drug pricing practices after The New York Times published a report on practices at Richmond Community Hospital owned by Bon Secours.

“Bon Secours Mercy Health, a major nonprofit health system, used the poverty of Richmond Community Hospital’s patients to tap into a lucrative federal drug program,” The Times said in a Saturday article.

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Revised MVD Road Test Includes Changes to Increase Driver Safety, Knowledge

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) revealed Tuesday that new changes would be coming to the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) road test this week to improve new driver knowledge and safety awareness.

“These changes are intended to provide a consistent experience at any of the MVD offices or authorized third party locations across Arizona,” said Mike Cryderman, MVD field operations administrator. “This new process continues our vision to become the safest, most reliable transportation system in the country.”

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Common Sense Institute Arizona to Welcome Katie Ratlief as New Executive Director

The Common Sense Institute (CSI) Arizona announced Tuesday that the Deputy Chief of Staff for Gov. Doug Ducey, Katie Ratlief, will join the organization as its new executive director come January 2023.

“I am proud to become the Executive Director for CSI Arizona. I believe CSI has the unique capabilities to position Arizona at the forefront of the 21st century economy by capitalizing on unprecedented growth and an ever-evolving business environment through sound, accurate econometric research. At CSI, I believe we have a responsibility to use our diverse professional expertise and unwavering commitment to serve Arizonans to propel policy debates forward in pursuit of more meaningful and impactful policies,” said Ratlief.

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Commentary: So-Called ‘Ethnic Studies’ Promote Antisemitism, Bigotry in U.S. Schools

Parents are understandably concerned with the divisive curricula now taught in America’s schools. Ideas like critical race theory and extreme gender ideology often replace the subjects traditionally taught in core classes like science and social studies. Students no longer learn the importance of our nation’s history. They learn a warped worldview that divides us into the oppressors and the oppressed.

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Texas Christian Church Hosts ‘Drag Bingo’ to Raise Money for Trans Clothing Boutique

A family friendly “drag bingo” event hosted by a pro-LGBTQIA+ church in Katy, Texas drew hundreds of conservative protesters and antifa counter-protesters over the weekend, resulting in some on the conservative side getting pepper-sprayed.

Until word got out, the “all ages” drag event was going to feature “Goth themed” transvestite Tisha F—king Flowers, who was arrested as a teenager for writing a manifesto threatening to torture and kill his classmates.

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Pennsylvania Pro-Life Activist Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges, Lawyer Blasts DOJ’s ‘Political Prosecution’

A Pennsylvania pro-life activist has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he used force to interfere with a reproductive health care provider, after a state court previously threw out the case.

In October 2021, Mark Houck “forcefully shoved” Planned Parenthood volunteer Bruce Love, 72, the Department of Justice alleges, according to Fox News. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act bars the use of force to interfere with or coerce reproductive health providers. Houck on Tuesday pleaded not guilty on two counts.

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Commentary: The Importance of Doug Mastriano

Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor — that would be state Sen. Doug Mastriano — is under attack by the establishment elite for not being … part of the establishment elite. And, of all people, the Republican Governors Association has signed on for the attack.

For those who have not followed the tale, Mastriano is a 30-year active-duty combat veteran who retired as a colonel in the Army. Apart from being deployed to Iraq for Operation Desert Storm (1991), assigned to the U.S. forces liberating Kuwait, in the post–9/11 world he was assigned to NATO and had three tours in Afghanistan. He ended his military career as a professor at the U.S. Army War College, in nearby (to me) Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He has four master’s degrees and holds a doctorate in history.

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Manchin Caves, Asks Schumer to Drop Energy-Permitting Plan from Continuing Resolution

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to remove his energy permitting reform plan from a continuing resolution in the face of bipartisan opposition.

Schumer promised that he would “continue to have conversations about the best way,” to advance Manchin’s plan by the end of the year, per Politico. Senate Republicans were poised to block the continuing resolution amid concerns about the Manchin proposal attached to it.

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‘Satanic Temple’ Sues Indiana over Abortion Ban

A group called “The Satanic Temple” has sued the State of Indiana to block its near-complete ban on abortions, per a lawsuit filed in federal court on Sept. 21.

The group, naming the state’s Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney Gen. Todd Rokita, as respondents, filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. It claims to be filing the suit on behalf of a female member of the group that became “involuntarily pregnant” and wishes to terminate the pregnancy.

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Group Sues U.S. Department of Education over Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation Plan

A nonprofit legal group filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Education to block its move to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for some borrowers.

“Congress did not authorize the executive branch to unilaterally cancel student debt,” Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Caleb Kruckenberg said. “It’s flagrantly illegal for the executive branch to create a $500 billion program by press release, and without statutory authority or even the basic notice and comment procedure for new regulations.”

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