Mississippi State Head Football Coach Mike Leach Dies at 61 After Complications from Heart Condition

Mississippi State University head football coach Mike Leach passed away at the age of 61 due to complications from a heart condition, the school announced Tuesday.

“Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity,” the Leach family said.

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Analysis: The Border Is Less Secure Than Ever, and the Implications Are Deadly

During a recent hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Dan Bishop (R–NC) asked Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas, “Do you continue to maintain that the border is secure?” Mayorkas replied, “Yes, and we are working day in and day out to enhance its security.”

Contradicting that claim, objective measures show that the border is less secure than ever, and the situation is putting many thousands of lives at risk.

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Republicans Made Midterm Gains with Young Voters

Republicans made gains in the midterm elections among voters under 30, a demographic that tends to lean heavily Democratic, according to the Associated Press.

Young voters swung 53 percent for Democratic House candidates and 41 percent for Republican candidates, according to the AP. The result marks a decline from recent elections: voters under 30 chose President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump 61 percent to 36 percent in 2020, swung for Democrats 64 to 34 percent in 2018 House races.

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Department of Energy Fires Gender Fluid Nuclear Official amid Luggage Theft Charges: Reports

The Department of Energy has fired Sam Brinton, thought to be the nation’s first openly gender fluid federal employee, amid multiple allegations of luggage theft.

“Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee,” a department spokesperson told the Daily Beast on Monday. “By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters.”

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University System Weighs Gutting Math Standards After Students Keep Failing Algebra

The Kansas Board of Regents is considering stripping specific university math requirements after it was found that a significant percentage of college freshmen fail algebra, NPR affiliate KCUR reported.

The Regents, who oversee the system’s six public universities, are considering implementing the Math Pathways approach which matches students to a math course based on their major instead of mandating algebra for all incoming students. While many universities require that all freshmen pass algebra as a prerequisite for graduation, one in three Kansas students reportedly fail the course, which could delay a student’s graduation.

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Tennessee Stadium Committee Chair Wants More Information Before Non-Binding Vote

The chair of Nashville’s East Bank Stadium Committee believes that the Metro Council does not have enough information from the mayor’s office to properly analyze and vote on a non-binding term sheet at the council’s Dec. 20 meeting.

In a series of posts on the topic, at-large Council Member Bob Mendes has pointed out that, while the mayor’s office has provided a breakdown of tax projections that are expected to send $2.9 billion in public tax funds toward the stadium over the next 34 years – not including $500 million from the state of Tennessee – it has not provided a projected breakdown of how those funds will be spent.

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More Evidence Reveals CDC Colluded with Social Media Giants to Silence COVID ‘Misinformation’

America First Legal (AFL) released a fourth set of documents obtained from litigation against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that reveals more evidence of alleged collusion between the nation’s public health agency and social media companies to censor free speech and silence Americans under the government’s label of “misinformation.”

Last week, AFL’s 600-page document release uncovered evidence that Twitter operated a “Partner Support Portal” for government employees and other selective “stakeholders” that would allow them to delete or flag posts viewed as “misinformation,” noted AFL, which is led by former President Donald Trump’s immigration advisor Stephen Miller.

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Arizona Patient Samples Show a 261 Percent Increase in Fentanyl Positivity Since 2019

A new study from the California-based Millennium Health (MH) showed that fentanyl positivity increased in Arizona by 261 percent between the first half of 2022 and 2019.

“We have already seen too many Arizona families lose loved ones to drugs. Our goal is to work hand-in-hand with public health and safety authorities, health care providers, and community organizations to proactively address drug exposures and help prevent drug overdose deaths,” said Angela Huskey, PharmD, CPE, Chief Clinical Officer at MH.

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ElectraMeccanica Begins Electric Vehicle Production in New Mesa Manufacturing Facility Projected to Bring 500 Jobs

Electric vehicle manufacturer ElectraMeccanica (EM) began production in its new Mesa facility Monday, which is projected to create 500 new jobs in the state and produce upwards of 20,000 cars every year.

“We are thrilled to bring production of our vehicles onshore and introduce an enhanced, U.S.-built 2023 model year SOLO EV to market,” said Susan Docherty, CEO of ElectraMeccanica. “It takes a village to do what we are doing. Bringing our manufacturing facility and vision for our company to life only works if there is a true partnership between local and state government leaders who are committed to economic development, along with solid business partners who share a vision to create products that consumers crave.”

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The Ohio Department of Public Safety to Start Armed School Staff Essential Training Next Year

Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday that the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) has finished setting the required training known as the Armed School Staff Essential Training (ASSET) Curriculum.

The OSSC developed the curriculum to meet the requirements of House Bill (HB) 99 sponsored by state Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) which gives Ohio school boards and governing bodies the option to arm staff members.

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Arizona Elections Procedures Manual Has No Provision for Certifying Third-Party Vendor Equipment Used for Signature Verification in Maricopa County

The State of Arizona Elections Procedures Manual (EPM) for 2019 that prescribes the Secretary of State’s rules for running an election has no provision for qualifying or certifying the equipment a third-party vendor uses for ballot signature verification in Maricopa County.

According to state law A.R.S. 16-452, the secretary of state is responsible for prescribing in an official instructions and procedures manual the rules to achieve and maintain the maximum degree of correctness, impartiality, uniformity and efficiency on the procedures for early voting and voting as well as producing, distributing, collecting, county, tabulating and storing ballots.

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GOP Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Prohibit COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates at Ohio Colleges and Universities

Lawmakers introduced a Republican-sponsored bill into the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Committee that would ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Ohio colleges and universities.

House Bill (HB) 747 sponsored by state Representative P. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) prohibits private colleges or state institutions of higher education from discriminating against an individual based on COVID-19 vaccination status even in medical school programs.

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Commentary: Moore v. Harper Terrifies Democrats for Good Reason

The U.S. Supreme Court finally heard oral arguments in Moore v. Harper last week. The case involves a mundane constitutional issue concerning the definition of “legislature” as used in the elections clause. Yet it has produced panic among Democrats and a torrent of portentous predictions about the death of democracy from various leftist law professors. In the Washington Post, for example, Harvard University’s Noah Feldman expressed alarm that the court took up the “insane” case at all.

Is Moore v. Harper really insane? Of course not. The case arose early this year when the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down a redistricting map produced by the state Legislature, then replaced it with a redistricting scheme of its own. The North Carolina General Assembly petitioned SCOTUS for relief on the grounds that this action violated Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.

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Teachers Union Wants $5 Billion from Minnesota’s Budget Surplus

The state’s teachers union, a top ally of and donor to Minnesota Democrats, who now control the whole of state government, said it wants a $5 billion chunk of the budget surplus.

Minnesota Management and Budget announced in an economic forecast this week that state lawmakers will have a projected $17.6 billion surplus to work with when crafting a budget for the 2024-2025 biennium next session. That’s up from an estimated $9.2 billion surplus projected in February.

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Both Democrats and Republican Claim a Majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Battle Over Special Election Powers

It’s still unclear which party controls the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and the courts may have to settle the question.

Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, arranged last week to be sworn in as House leader when it’s unclear who is legally the majority party. Over the weekend, Republicans filed a lawsuit to overturn McClinton’s scheduling of three special elections to fill House seats on February 7.

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Special Counsel Subpoenas Secretary of State Raffensperger in Investigation of Efforts to Block Certifying 2020 Election

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has been subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into efforts to interfere with certifying the 2020 election on January 6, 2021, or to interfere with the lawful transfer of power.

The subpoena, obtained by The Washington Post, orders Raffensperger to produce any communications dating June 2020 through January 20, 2021, with former President Donald Trump, his campaign, and allies including some lawyers. Similar subpoenas were sent to officials in other 2020 battleground states, according to The Post.

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Border Patrol Apprehend Record Number of Cubans Attempting to Illegally Enter Florida

Nearly every day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, working with multiple law enforcement partners, apprehend Cubans attempting to enter Florida illegally. They’re also apprehending other foreign nationals, including sex offenders.

They’re doing so as U.S. Coast Guard crews continue to apprehend a record number of Cubans. In fiscal year 2022, they apprehended a record high 6,182 Cubans at sea compared to 49 in fiscal 2020.

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Wisconsin Congressman Gallagher: Nationwide TikTok Ban to Be Introduced This Month

U.S. Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) this week touted an emerging effort in both houses of Congress to ban the video-sharing application TikTok nationwide. 

Gallagher and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) penned an opinion piece for The Washington Post last month insisting Americans should not have access to the app. In a discussion with WISN CHANNEL 12 on Monday, Gallagher said he will introduce bipartisan legislation to that effect this month and he anticipates it will get a vote early next year. 

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Virginia State Senators Morrissey, McClellan Favorites to Win Special Election for Vacant VA-04 Seat

Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered a February 21, 2023 special election to fill late Congressman Don McEachin’s seat, setting off a tight timeline for nominations in the safe-D seat. Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond), Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond), and Delegate Lamont Bagby (D-Henrico) are the top candidates for the race.

McClellan and Bagby have already filed to run for the race, but only Bagby has officially announced his candidacy. On Monday afternoon, Morrissey seemed to confirmed speculation that he would enter the race, announcing a “major announcement” to be made at a Tuesday press conference. At the same time, fierce Morrissey ally John Fredericks, publisher of The Virginia Star, tweeted “Breaking…!VA-04 Shakeup! In upcoming Special,centrist VA Sen Joe Morrissey (D) expected to get in the race tomorrow-11:30 am presser at Petersburg City Hall. His entry completely changes dynamics in big name crowded field. If he gets in, he wins!”

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Philadelphia Man Charged with Impersonating Postal Worker, Mail Theft, also Found with Stolen Ballots

Philadelphia man who was charged with impersonating a postal worker and mail theft was also found to be in possession of over a dozen stolen mail-in ballots, officials says.

While pretending to be a USPS Mail Carrier, Zachkey James, 27, stole undelivered mail from a collection box near the Kingsessing Post Office, in Pennsylvania, in July, the Justice Department said last week.

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Former Loudoun County Superintendent Indicted on Three Misdemeanor Charges

The former superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia has been indicted following a special grand jury report that concluded the school district mishandled several sexual assault cases involving students.

The Loudoun County Special Grand Jury charged former Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler Monday on three misdemeanor charges, including penalizing an employee for a court appearance, while Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Officer Wayde Byard was indicted with felony perjury. The Loudoun County School Board fired Ziegler Dec. 7 “immediately and without cause” following the special grand jury report.

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Commentary: Manchin-Collins Bill Would End the 1887 Electoral Count Act’s Provision of State Legislatures Choosing Presidential Electors

Legislation offered by Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) would repeal Sections 1 and 2 of the 1887 Electoral Count Act, and replace the appointment of electors by state legislatures in the event a state fails to make a choice in that election under current federal law to “the executive of each State”.

3 U.S.C. Section 2 currently states, “Whenever any State has held an election for the purpose of choosing electors, and has failed to make a choice on the day prescribed by law, the electors may be appointed on a subsequent day in such a manner as the legislature of such State may direct.”

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Florida School Board Meeting Reveals ‘Everyday’ Violence, Chaos in Schools as Teachers Flee

Dozens of teachers have fled a Florida school district amid startling reports of ongoing student violence and chaos there, a contentious school board meeting revealed this week.

Brevard County’s lengthy school board meeting on Thursday revealed what one teacher called “an everyday basis” of violent and disruptive behavior from students in the district’s schools. 

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Youngkin Sets Date for Virginia Special Election

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday a special election following the death of U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA-04), will be February 21.

The election will fill Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, which was held by McEachin from 2017 until his death November 28. McEachin died from complications of colorectal cancer less than three weeks after winning re-election, as previously reported by The Center Square. McEachin’s funeral was in Richmond last week. 

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Cross-Dressing Book for Pre-K Students Crossed the Line in Kansas

A school district that gave preschoolers a book on cross-dressing has changed its procedures for giving out books after news of the incident surfaced last week.

As first reported exclusively by The Lion and The Heartlander news sites, a 4-year-old preschooler in the Turner School District in Kansas City, Kansas, took home the book Jacob’s New Dress. It’s a picture book in which a little boy wears girls’ clothes and even competes with his friend Emily to be a princess.

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Multiple Schools Used Pandemic Aid to Give Teacher Bonuses, Go on Hiring Sprees

A new report by a watchdog group reveals the extent of how many schools abused their COVID-19 relief funds to instead pay teachers even more despite not returning to work.

According to the Washington Examiner, the report by FutureEd reveals that many schools still haven’t completely spent the money that they received as a result of three major stimulus bills passed in 2020. Following Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan,” at least $190 billion has been allocated exclusively for schools. But as of October, schools nationwide have spent less than 15 percent of the money given to them through the American Rescue Plan.

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Democratic Memo: Party Recaptured Some Latinos Who Left During Trump Era, but Critics Say More Needed to Win 2024

A strategic memo created by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that examines the party’s success in the 2022 midterm elections says the party recaptured some Hispanic Americans who left the party and turned Republican during the Trump years, according to reports.

The DCCC spent $18 million on digital and TV ads along with other forms of communication to target Hispanic Americans in races across the country, which was double the money spent on Latinos in 2020, according to the memo.

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Commentary: Young Montana Entrepreneur Is Being Legally Barred from Hauling Trash Because Established Players Don’t Want the Competition

When Parker Noland launched his trash-hauling business at age 20 in the summer of 2021, he was excited about the opportunities that lay before him. After taking out a loan from a local bank, the Montana native bought a truck and some dumpsters and got to work promoting his services. The business plan was simple: he would deliver dumpsters to construction sites looking to get rid of debris and then transport the dumpsters to the county dump once they were full.

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U.S. Officials Set to Announce Fusion Energy Breakthrough: Report

U.S. government scientists have recently managed to make significant progress toward successfully utilizing fusion energy, according to The Financial Times.

Scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California managed to create net energy gain via a fusion reaction in the past two weeks, the FT reported Sunday, citing three people with knowledge of the experiment. Researchers have been attempting to produce more energy than they burn during fusion reactions, which power the sun, for 70 years; however, no reaction has produced more energy than it burns until now.

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Retired Navy SEAL Announces ‘Detransition:’ Transgender Lifestyle ‘Destroyed My Life’

Retired Navy SEAL Chris Beck, who called himself Kristin Beck for nearly ten years, announced he is detransitioning, and warned Americans that LGBTQ activists pushing transgender health services on children are harming them.

In 2013, Beck, a combat veteran who served for over 20 years, with 13 deployments and numerous medals, came out as the first transgender soldier on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, a story that, podcast host Robby Starbuck noted earlier this month, was watched by “tens of millions of people.”

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The School Choice Movement is Picking Up Steam Across the Country

The school choice movement is gaining momentum as states focus on legislation that would give families greater freedom to select their child’s education, advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Utah, New Hampshire and South Carolina are pushing for more expansive school choice legislation that would increase the value of school choice vouchers and the number of eligible students, while states such as Arizona and Florida have already implemented programs that provide vouchers to students outside of the public school system. The increasing push for more school choice legislation across the country is because other states have provided the model to do so, advocates told the DCNF.

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