Month: September 2022

Calls Grow Among Prominent Figures to Create a New ‘Church Committee’ to Probe FBI Abuses

Just the News

A half century ago, Americans held grave concerns that J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies had abused civil rights, improperly targeted enemies and illegally gathered evidence, so Congress set out on a great cleansing mission. It formed a special committee chaired by Idaho Sen. Frank Church that laid bare the wrongdoing, overhauled the bureau and created new guardrails to protect civil liberties.

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Learning Loss Greater in School Districts That Stayed Remote Longer, Study Shows

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School districts that resorted to remote learning during the pandemic took a large learning loss hit, according to Thursday study by a Brown University economist.

K-12 school districts who stayed with remote learning the longest during the pandemic saw a 13% sharper drop in learning losses than schools that returned to in-person learning sooner, according to study by a Brown University economist Emily Oster. The study notes that while there were other factors that resulted in learning losses, remote learning was a “significant contributing factor.”

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Florida and Connecticut Attorneys General Lead Bipartisan Effort to Classify Illicit Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction

The Center Square
fentanyl pills on the hood of a vehicle

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong are leading a multistate, bipartisan effort urging President Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD).

“I first called for President Biden to take swift action in July and call fentanyl what it is – a weapon of mass destruction,” Moody said. “Now, I am leading a bipartisan coalition of 18 attorneys general demanding the president take action now, declare fentanyl a WMD and join us in our fight to prevent the death and destruction caused by this highly-lethal substance from getting even worse.”

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Hillsdale College Releases Statement to ‘Correct Factual Inaccuracies and Oft-Repeated Falsehoods in the Media’ About Its K-12 Education Work

Kaitlyn Osteen

HILLSDALE, Michigan- Hillsdale College has released a statement to provide answers to common misconceptions about its work in K-12 education and the nature of the relationship between Hillsdale College and the schools with which it is affiliated.

The statement has been released, following the appeal of American Classical Academy Rutherford to open a charter school in Rutherford County, Tennessee after the denial of their application by the Rutherford County School Board earlier this year. American Classical Academy intends to use curriculum provided by Hillsdale College and was launched with the financial assistance of Hillsdale College.

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Ohio Representative: FBI Won’t Answer Allegation Vet-Led Preparedness Group Listed as Domestic Violent Extremists

Just the News

GOP Rep. Jim Jordan says the FBI is not responding to his concerns about a whistleblower report claiming the agency has classified an emergency-preparedness group started by a former Green Beret as a “domestic violent extremism” organization.

Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, addressed his concerns in a letter sent Wednesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray — following one he sent in July about whistleblower allegations that the agency is “padding its domestic violent extremist data.”

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Supreme Court Temporarily Sides with LGBTQ Group at Jewish University

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On Wednesday, the Supreme Court narrowly sided with a left-wing pro-LGBTQ group that is seeking official recognition from its Jewish university, although the court may revisit the decision in the future.

ABC News reports that the court voted 5-4 to lift a temporary hold on a lower court order requiring Yeshiva University in New York to formally recognize the group, YU Pride Alliance. However, the legal battle over the group’s claims against the university is ongoing in the state of New York.

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Commentary: The Ruling Class’ Gaslighting on the Durham Investigation

Admin

In anticipation of Justice Department special counsel John Durham’s final report on the partisan origins of the Obama administration’s investigation into alleged Trump-Russia collusion, the ruling class is scoffing at his findings to date. What a yawner, they say. What a waste of time and money. Never mind that his investigation has already established that the Russian disinformation in the 2016 election came exclusively from the Hillary Clinton campaign.

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Tennessee Collects $4.9 Million of Taxes on $206 Million in Online Sports Wagers in August

The Center Square

Tennessee collected $4.9 million in sports gambling taxes in August, up more than $1 million from July, according to numbers released by the state’s Sports Wagering Advisory Committee.

The funds came from nearly $206 million of wagering with sports gambling sites from the state’s 12 online sports books making $24.4 million in adjusted gross income during the month.

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Commentary: America’s Dominant Abortion Provider Faces a Struggle to Adapt

RealClearWire

Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson has tried to present new state laws restricting abortion as an opportunity for the nation’s largest abortion provider. “Now that we are in a world where we are no longer defending Roe,” she told Time magazine, “we have actually an opportunity to reimagine and reconstruct something better.”

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Judge Names Special Master in Trump FBI Case, Denies DOJ Use of Disputed Documents

Just the News

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed New York Judge Raymond Dearie as special master to independently review documents the FBI took from former President Donald Trump’s Florida home in early August.

Cannon’s appointment of Dearie came alongside a separate ruling that denied the Department of Justice’s request to continue its own review of the documents.

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Sen. Rand Paul: ‘Dr. Fauci Continues to Lie, Cover-Up, and Deny the Science to Promote Himself’

Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) once again battled with White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci Wednesday about whether children with natural immunity from a prior COVID infection should be injected with the mRNA shots the government has referred to as “vaccines.”

“Dr. Fauci continues to lie, cover-up, and deny the science to promote himself,” tweeted Paul about his tense exchange with Fauci during a Senate committee hearing whose central focus was the federal response to monkeypox.

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Democrat Judge Temporarily Blocks Ohio Heartbeat Abortion Ban

Susan Berry, PhD

A Hamilton County judge temporarily halted Ohio’s ban on abortions once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, a law that has been in effect since the U.S. Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion to the individual states.

Common Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins, a Democrat, paused Ohio’s Heartbeat Act (SB 23) Wednesday for 14 days with a temporary restraining order.

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Pennsylvania House Committee to Investigate ‘Ghost Flights’

Bradley Vasoli

A Pennsylvania House committee announced this week it will investigate cases of “ghost flights” of illegal immigrants, possibly including children, that reportedly landed in the Keystone State.

The state House Government Oversight Committee accepted a referral from House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Quarryville) and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte) which voiced concern about media accounts of nighttime air delivery of persons who unlawfully entered the United States. Cutler and Benninghoff observed that whistleblowers have suggested these flights into the commonwealth’s northeastern region, allegedly chartered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), contain minors as well as adults. The individuals were reported to have been driven out of state after arriving.

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Poll Shows Ron Johnson with a Close Lead in Wisconsin Senate Race

The Center Square

The mood seems to be changing in Wisconsin’s top two races this November, even as the numbers continue to show toss-ups.

The latest Marquette Law School Poll released yesterday gives Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican U,S. Senator Ron Johnson slight leads in their races. Evers is up 47-44 on Republican Tim Michels, while Johnson is up 49-48 over Democrat Mandela Barnes.

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Georgia’s MARTA Plans to Extend Atlanta Streetcar Line Eastward

The Center Square

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority plans to spend $176 to 215 million to extend Atlanta’s streetcar line eastward.

The agency plans to use money from the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax voters in Atlanta approved in November 2016 to fund the two-mile extension, which won’t open until 2027. The agency expects to start construction in 2024.

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Pending Federal Grant Approval May Determine Whether Michigan Nuclear Plant Reopens

The Center Square

Taxpayers are being asked to fund the reopening of the Palisades nuclear plant in Southwest Michigan through a federal grant.

When it was still in operation, Palisades provided more than 800 megawatts of of carbon-free power and employed 600 people. The plant’s former owner closed the plant on May 20 after the plant’s fuel supply ran out and the power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy expired.

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Report: Walz’s Carbon-Free Future Would Cost Customers $3,800 Extra per Year

Admin

Gov. Tim Walz’s vision for a carbon-free Minnesota could have a devastating impact on family budgets, according to a new report released this week.

The report was authored by the Center of the American Experiment’s Isaac Orr, Mitch Rolling, and John Phelan, who used economic modeling software to predict the impacts of Gov. Walz’s proposal to create a 100% carbon-free electric grid by 2040.

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Concerned Parents Flood Hillard City School Board Meeting over Staff-Worn LGBTQ ‘I’m Here’ Badges

Hannah Poling

Hilliard City Schools met for a board meeting on Monday to discuss a policy regarding release time for religious instruction. However, the meeting was flooded with concerned parents over a different issue. The LGBTQ badges.

These badges were implemented at the beginning of the school year and were distributed by the teachers union National Education Association (NEA) and its local affiliate, Hilliard Education Association (HEA). They provided a badge to any teacher who requested one. According to Lisa Chaffee, director for Ohio Parents Rights and Education, “The school district did not give permission for these badges. Rather, the Union president with the HEA, Linna Jordan, did it on her own volition.” Several unsuccessful attempts were made to contact Jordan for a comment.

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Indoor Vertical Farm Company to Build Campus in Chesterfield

Eric Burk

Plenty Unlimited, Inc., announced plans to invest $300 million to construct the world’s largest indoor vertical farming campus, which will be located in Chesterfield and is expected to have a strawberry farm completed in late 2023 or early 2024.

“At Plenty, we’re on a mission to sustainably grow fresh food for everyone, everywhere,” Plenty CEO Arama Kukutai said in a press release from the governor’s office. “This campus will raise the bar on what indoor vertical farming can deliver. The scale and sophistication of what we’re building here in Virginia will make it possible to economically grow a variety of produce with superior quality and flavor. We look forward to continuing to work in close partnership with the government of Virginia as we endeavor to rewrite the rules of agriculture.”

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Ohio Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Stopping Picketing at Homes, Private Businesses

The Center Square

Public officials are not immune from picketing connected to a labor dispute at their homes or private workplaces after a divided Ohio Supreme Court struck down a law that prohibited encouraging “targeted picketing.”

The law made organizing picketing at a private residence and business an unfair labor practice, but in a 4-3 decision the Supreme Court said that violated the First Amendment right of free speech.

Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and Justices Michael P. Donnelly, Melody Stewart and Jennifer Brunner all joined the majority.

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Hamilton County Judge Temporarily Halts Ohio Abortion Restriction

Bradley Vasoli

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian A. Jenkins this week imposed a two-week suspension on the Ohio law banning abortions for women whose unborn children have detectable heartbeats. 

Effectively, the statute, known as the “Heartbeat Law,” generally prohibits terminating pregnancies that have gone on for longer than six weeks. Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed the legislation in 2019 but agencies could not enforce it until this year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion nationwide. 

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Blake Masters Receives Endorsement from Arizona’s Four Republican Representatives

Neil Jones

Arizona Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters has received endorsements from the state’s four Republican Representatives, and he said he looks forward to joining them in Washington.

“It’s an honor to be endorsed by bold, conservative leaders like Representatives Biggs, Lesko, Schweikert, and Gosar. All are highly respected and effective legislators, which is why Arizona voters continue to re-elect them to fight for their interests in Washington. I look forward to being their partner in the Senate,” Masters said.

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Two More Texas Counties Declare Invasion at Southern Border, Bringing Total to 29

The Center Square

Two more Texas counties have declared an invasion at the southern border, bringing to 29 the total that have done so so far, with more expected to follow.

The judges and county commissioners of Wharton and Burnet counties this week signed resolutions calling for “additional measures to secure the border, stop the invasion at the border, and protect our communities.”

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Opry Member Gene Watson Releases ‘Outside the Box’

Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Known among country fans and fellow artists as the “singer’s singer,” Gene Watson is celebrating 60 years in the music business – and shows no signs of slowing down.

Watson has more than 75 charted titles, 23 Top 10 hits, six Number 1 country singles, and five Number 1 gospel hits. I asked the Opry legend why, at age 78, he felt the need to make another record.

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Commentary: The ‘Gold Standard’ Private Pensions Exposed Now as High-Wire Busts

RealClearWire

Like many retirees, Jesus Nunez knew he was due a pension but was having a hard time tracking it down. Now 66, the Burbank, Illinois, resident had worked as a painter and garage worker for the Checker Taxi Co. Inc from 1978 to 1986 and then another year for its successor concern. But when Checker Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, he never got a notice about his anticipated retirement checks. He figures he’s due about $300 per month.

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Government May Have Sent up to $1.3 Billion in COVID Aid to Foreign Countries

Admin

On Monday, a watchdog report claimed that the Small Business Administration (SBA) may have accidentally sent as much as $1.3 billion in COVID-19 relief funding to foreign countries during the pandemic.

According to the Daily Caller, the office of the SBA inspector general reported that the agency failed to detect the foreign IP addresses of those who applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which awarded as much as $2 million per business or nonprofit. As a result, up to $1.3 billion may have been sent to recipients in “high risk” countries.

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Mike Lindell Says FBI Surrounded Him and Seized His Cellphone

Admin

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said the FBI surrounded him and seized his cell phone Tuesday while he was in a Hardee’s drive-through in Mankato, Minnesota.

“The FBI came after me and took my phone, they surrounded me at a Hardee’s and took my phone, Lindell said in a short video posted on social media Tuesday night. The pillow salesman explained that he doesn’t have a computer because he does all of his business on his phone.

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Metro Nashville Denies Release of Titans Stadium Communications, Claiming ‘Deliberative Process’

The Center Square
Nissan Stadium

Metro Nashville denied an open records request for its internal communications related to Nashville’s East Bank, citing a “deliberative process privilege” exemption to the state’s open records law.

Justin Hayes, a Nashville resident who requested those records, only received notice of the exemption after following up on the records request several times. Initially, Hayes was just provided email threads from communications staff commenting on story links.

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Twilio Says Layoffs Planned Through ‘Anti-Racist’ Lens

Peter D'Abrosca

A technology company based in San Francisco plans to lay off 11 percent of its workforce, and plans to do so with race in mind. 

“As you all know, we are committed to becoming an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression company,” said Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson in a message to employees. “Layoffs like this can have a more pronounced impact on marginalized communities, so we were particularly focused on ensuring our layoffs – while a business necessity today – were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens.”

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Commentary: The Regime’s ‘Operation MAGA Fascist’ Gains Ground

Admin

After nearly two years of lies related to the events of January 6, 2021, the regime finally has admitted the truth: The widening legal dragnet to scoop up Donald Trump, his associates, and his voters has nothing to do with the four-hour disturbance on Capitol Hill that afternoon. It is, rather, a thus-far successful crusade to criminalize wrongthink about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham Introduces Federal Pain-Capable 15-Week Abortion Ban

Susan Berry, PhD

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban, at the federal level, most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a point when many experts say unborn babies can experience pain during abortion.

“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand — except in cases of rape, incest, to save the life of the mother,” Graham said at a press conference in which he introduced the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act with pro-life leaders.

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