McCarthy Agrees to Key Rule Change in Effort to Solidify Support for Speakership Bid

With the election for Speaker of the House of Representatives taking place on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has agreed to a major rule change in an effort to secure conservative support for his shaky bid for leadership.

The Daily Caller reports that McCarthy agreed on Sunday to make it easier for a vote of no-confidence to be brought up against a sitting Speaker, changing the procedure so that any rank-and-file member of the House can call for such a vote. Previously, a vote of no-confidence, also known as a motion to vacate the chair, could only be brought by a member of party leadership.

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Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia Among 18 States Banning Social Media App TikTok from State Devices

Following South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem’s lead, nearly half of U.S. states have put restrictions on or banned the use of Chinese-based social media app TikTok.

At least 19 states have banned TikTok on government-issued devices – Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utha, Virginia and West Virginia.

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Biden Blamed by Own Ex-Border Chief for Soaring Asylum Cases, Record Immigration Court Backlog

The Biden administration is to blame for soaring asylum cases that have created a record years-long backlog in U.S. immigration courts, according to President Joe Biden’s own former Border Patrol chief.

“Several factors have contributed to this backlog, but the massive increase that we’re seeing today can be directly attributed to the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies,” said Rodney Scott, who headed the Border Patrol in both the Trump and Biden administrations.

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Tennessee Department of Correction Announces New Security Procedures to Better Identify Smuggled Contraband

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) announced a new security protocol that applies to everyone who enters TDOC prisons in 2023.

Beginning this month, all people who enter a TDOC prison will be required to be screened by a full body scanner. The scanners are meant to “act as deterrents for individuals considering bringing contraband into a facility,” TDOC explained in a recent press release.

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Feds Use Facebook to Study COVID Vaccine, Testing, and Mask Messaging

healthcare worker giving vaccination

Legislation that would use federal agencies to “nudge” social media platforms to reduce the spread of “harmful content” isn’t going anywhere in the waning days of the 117th Congress. 

As evidenced by the ongoing release of the “Twitter Files,” however, that’s no impediment to the government — and the research universities that so heavily depend on federal funding — enlisting Big Tech to promote favored narratives and throttle competing arguments on contentious topics.

Federal agencies and U.S. universities together have funded or sponsored a dozen studies mentioning Facebook and COVID-19, according to the National Institutes of Health’s ClinicalTrials.gov database.

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More than Two-Thirds of Voters Believe America is Heading in the Wrong Direction

More than two-thirds of voters now say the United States is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new poll from the State Policy Network. Voter satisfaction with the country’s direction has continued to plummet since July.

SPN’s State’s Voices opinion poll surveyed nearly 2,000 registered voters and was conducted in partnership with Morning Consult through online interviews.

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Youngkin Announces $24.7 Million in Grants for Blighted Industrial Properties

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced $24.7 million in grants targeted at improving 20 blighted nonresidential properties across Virginia.

The funds will be supplemented by an additional $72.8 million in other funding sources, with 600 jobs expected as a result of the projects. The new round of grants comes as Youngkin places an emphasis on business development and helping blighted regions.

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In Similar Cases to Lake’s and Finchem’s Lawsuit over Electronic Voting Machine Readers, Judges Did Not Order Sanctions Against Attorneys

The judge in Kari Lake’s election challenge lawsuit declined to award sanctions against her attorneys, although he did order her team to pay the costs of the government defendants. However, in a lawsuit Lake filed earlier this year with Mark Finchem contesting the use of electronic voting machine readers, U.S District Judge John Tuchi, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, sanctioned her attorneys. 

That lawsuit was filed in April and Tuchi dismissed it in August. Maricopa County asked for sanctions on the grounds that attorneys brought claims to court that were “demonstrably false,” citing “vague” allegations that machine counting can produce inaccurate results. Tuchi said the attorneys acted “recklessly” and in “bad faith.” He ordered Lake and Finchem’s lawyers to pay Maricopa County’s attorneys fees. He warned others considering similar lawsuits, “It is to penalize specific attorney conduct with the broader goal of deterring similarly baseless filings initiated by anyone, whether an attorney or not.”

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Tennessee Touts 2022 Economic Developments: 16,000 Job Commitments, $8.6 Billion in Private Investments

Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) posted their picks for the top five new business investments in the state during 2022. 

In all, about 100 projects were supported by TNECD statewide in 2022, resulting in more than 16,000 jobs and $8.6 billion in private investment, according to the department.

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Ohio Governor Appoints Joan Synenberg to Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas

After Ohio Governor Mike DeWine chose her on Thursday to fill another open seat on the same court, long-serving Republican Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Joan Synenberg will stay on the bench for at least another two years.

Synenberg will assume the term of Democratic Judge Deborah Turner and will start her new term on January 14th. In order to retain the seat she must win the general election in November 2024. Turner resigned from her position on the bench to run for another one, which allowed Turner to continue serving as a judge for an additional four years.

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Ohio Secretary of State Reports 630 Cases of Potential Voter Fraud During His Administration So Far

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) reported on Friday that his office discovered 630 cases of possible criminal voter fraud since he took office four years ago.

Incidents include 510 cases of potential voting by noncitizens, 97 instances of people possibly voting in more than one state and 23 allegations of election fraudsters using dead persons’ registrations. The department referred all of these cases to law enforcement, according to LaRose’s Year in Review 2022 newsletter.

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Representative-Elect Rampey Resigns, Kemp Schedules January 31 Special Election

Governor Brian Kemp has set a January 31 special election for House District 119 to replace Representative-elect Danny Rampey. Kemp called for the election in a New Year’s Eve order; the election date coincides with special elections in Senate District 11 and House District 172.

Rampey was elected in the November General Election, where he ran unopposed after defeating Marcus Ray with 82.7 percent of the vote in the Republican primary. But Rampey hadn’t yet taken office when he was arrested in December, facing allegations that he stole narcotics at a retirement complex that he managed, according to the AP. The Athens Banner-Herald reported that Rampey faces 19 felony counts, including burglary and drug possession.

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Virginia Bill Proposes First-Degree Murder Charges for Fentanyl Distribution

Dealers who sell or distribute substances containing fentanyl could face first-degree murder charges under a bill introduced by a Virginia lawmaker. 

House Bill 1455 would declare anyone who knowingly distributes or sells 2 milligrams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl to another person without their knowledge it contains fentanyl is guilty of attempted first-degree murder by poison. 

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Supreme Court Agrees with Republican States Led by Arizona AG Brnovich, Keeps Title 42 Border Restrictions in Place

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favor of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s lawsuit that keeps Title 42 restrictions in place until the justices hear a challenge in February. Brnovich led a coalition of 21 Republican states in trying to keep the Trump-era rule in place.

Title 42, named in reference to a 1944 public health law, is a policy implemented under the Trump administration in 2020 which allows immigration officials to turn illegal immigrants back at the border due to COVID-19. In the interests of public health, they are not allowed to apply for asylum. Multiple efforts have been made to halt it but have faced stiff opposition from proponents like Brnovich.  

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Commentary: The Left Sacrifices Natural Gas at the Altar of Climate Nirvana Leaving Good Americans Freeze to Death

The just-departed polar vortex confirmed that when Mother Nature is enraged, it’s wise to have options. Maddeningly, today’s “pro-choice” Democrats want Americans to have one energy choice.

Neo-totalitarian, Left-wing eco-extremists are banning new natural-gas access in scores of locales. If not reversed, this cruel, stupid, needless policy will kill Americans.

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Bill Would Clean Up Pennsylvania Voter-Record Errors

Over the weekend, Pennsylvania state Senator Ryan Aument (R-Lititz) told colleagues he will reintroduce a measure to clean up his state’s voter rolls.

Concern about the Keystone State’s voter records grew after Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a report in December 2019 alerting lawmakers to copious apparent errors in the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE). 

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Disney Issues Warning to Park-Goers after Fights Increase Among Guests

Disney reminded its guests to be on their best behavior and show “common courtesy” to other guests in the parks after there has been an increase in fights among visitors.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World added courtesy sections to the “Know Before You Go” section on their website, reminding guests that any unruly behavior could get them kicked out of the park.

“We ask all who come to this happy place to treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion. To help guests have a safe and enjoyable experience, we regularly update our Disneyland resort rules,” reads the Disneyland website.

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Indiana Launches Student-Success Dashboard for Students, Teachers

Indiana Department of Education launched a student-success dashboard to give students and educators a clearer view of each student’s progress toward graduation. 

The Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed Dashboard, nicknamed Indiana GPS, was developed over the course of a year in response to House Enrolled Act 1514, passed in 2021, which directed the State Board of Education and the DOE to develop a dashboard creating transparency for multiple student success indicators not later than July 2024.

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West Point Begins Removal of Robert E. Lee, Confederate Objects of ‘Racist-Past References’

Over these December holidays, the United States Military Academy at West Point started the process of removing aspects of the Confederate States of America in the name of altering its “racist-past references.”

Congress’ Naming Commission, comprised of four U.S. military veterans and four civilians, made its final recommendations this past summer.

Among them were renaming “seven different Department of Defense ‘assets’ dedicated to Confederate generals Robert E. Lee, P.G.T. Beauregard, and William Hardee,” and the removal of Lee’s portrait from the library in Jefferson Hall.

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Commentary: The $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Prioritizes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education and STEM Spending

The national debt is growing, but Congress’ recent spending bill is a telltale sign that it has no intention of shrinking the deficit.

After receiving bipartisan support in the Senate, the House passed a 1.7 trillion spending bill on Dec 16, avoiding a government shutdown.

The bill allocates funding mostly to defense, including $45 billion to Ukraine, which will assist the country in its war effort against Russia.

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Report: 97 Percent of Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes in New York Were Committed by Other Minorities

Americans Against Antisemitism (AAA) released a report revealing that 97% of hate crimes against Jews in New York between 2018 and 2022 were committed by other minority groups.

AAA’s report was first posted on AAA founder Dov Hikind’s Twitter account Wednesday. The report documented 194 cases of assault against Jews from April 2018 to August 2022, and, in 99 of those assaults, official reports included the ethnicity of the perpetrator revealing 97% were committed by other minorities.

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Economists: Guaranteed Income Programs Should Replace, Not Supplement, Other Welfare Subsidies

In Hudson, New York, participants in the city’s guaranteed income program that started in 2020 were counseled on how the $500 a month they were set to receive over a 5-year-period would impact other government subsidies for which they are eligible.

“Will participants lose other public benefits that they might currently be receiving?” the program’s website asked on the Frequently Asked Question section. “This question can only be answered on a case-by-case basis. Prior to committing to participating, all recipients will be offered benefits’ counseling to decide if participation is best for their specific situation.”

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Commentary: New IRS Requirement Raises Questions About Vow to Expand Audits Only on ‘Rich’

Next month, the U.S. Postal Service will be busier than usual. Not because of late Christmas cards or thank-you letters, but because of the extra Form 1099-Ks the IRS will be mailing out.

Under the American Rescue Plan, third-party payment facilitators like Venmo, eBay, Etsy, and Airbnb are now required to send Form 1099-Ks to individuals reporting 2022 gross annual income of as little as $600. That’s $50 a month.

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Farmers Concerned about Far-Reaching Effects of California’s New Animal Welfare Law

A new animal welfare law going into effect in California January 1 that mandates space requirements for pigs, cows and chickens has some livestock farmers on edge.  

Proposition 12 prohibits sales in California of pork, veal and eggs from livestock whose confinement doesn’t meet certain minimum space rules. Those rules mandate hog pens to be large enough for an animal to turn around.

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Students at Utah College Can Take a Course in ‘Dead White Women’ Next Semester

Westminster College, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, will offer a course titled “Dead White Women” during the spring 2023 semester which will analyze society’s “(unhealthy) obsession with the death of white women,” according to the course catalog.

The four-credit course is offered in both the film studies and gender studies departments, according to the catalog. The class will study why shows on the Investigation Discovery channel feature the deaths of white women more than the deaths of men.

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Boston May Bring Back Mask Mandates for Kids

Boston Public Schools is considering reinstating a mask mandate after the holiday break to minimize absenteeism from COVID-19, the mayor stated in a Wednesday announcement.

The decision is currently under consideration by city officials who fear a rise in COVID-19 cases once students return to the classroom in the new year, NBC Boston reported. Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu stated that a decision would be finalized by the end of the week.

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