Democrat Rep. Gallego Formally Announces 2024 Bid for Sinema’s Arizona Senate Seat

Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego on Monday launched his 2024 Senate campaign, possibly setting up a challenge against incumbent independent Sen. Krysten Sinema.

The announcement and the date was expected, with Gallego in recent weeks and months becoming increasingly critical of Sinema and her politics – including her failure to support Senate Democrats’ effort to end the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster that blocked passage of several of the party’s signature spending bills, then switching her party affiliation to independent.

Read the full story

Commentary: Trump Takes Aim at New York Times v. Sullivan

As readers of this space know, former President Donald J. Trump is suing CNN for defamation. Trump claims in his suit that CNN defamed him by repeatedly likening him to Hitler and, in particular, by claiming that his complaints about the integrity of the 2020 election are nothing but a “Big Lie,” such as was used by Hitler to win and maintain power. For its part, CNN claimed in a motion for dismissal filed over the holidays that, even if it said everything Trump alleges, he still has no case. According to CNN, its comparisons of Trump to Hitler were mere “opinion” and “rhetorical hyperbole,” not the kind of factually false derogatory claims for which one can sue for defamation.

Read the full story

Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr Presents ‘2023 Property Taxpayers Protection Act’ to Sumner County Constitutional Group

HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee – Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr presented the 2023 Property Taxpayers Protection Act to the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans, during the group’s regularly scheduled meeting Saturday at the Shackle Island Fire Rescue Hall in Hendersonville.

The Sumner County Constitutional Republicans is a five-year old organization that formed and exists to recruit and train God-fearing, action-based conservatives to run for local office, its Chairman Kurt Riley told The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.

Read the full story

COVID Czar Jeff Zients Expected to Replace White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain: Reports

Former White House COVID-19 czar Jeff Zients is expected to replace President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain, according to multiple media reports. 

Klain is expected to resign in the coming weeks, likely after Biden’s State of the Union address next month, and news emerged Sunday that Klain tapped Zients to fill his position, Axios reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Read the full story

‘Child Protection’ Org Fought Against Efforts to Crack Down on Childlike Sex Dolls, Cartoon Child Porn

The Prostasia Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that claims to work to prevent child sex abuse, has fought against measures cracking down on fetish activities involving sexually fantasizing about children, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation found.

Prostasia’s stated mission is to prevent child sex abuse before it happens through research, consulting, “defending the innocent” and advocating for “effective laws” that could help prevent abuse, according to the group’s website. In practice, however, Prostasia has advocated for policies that would expand adults’ access to childlike sex toys and fictitious child pornography while making life easier for convicted sex offenders; the organization argues that these activities do not harm children and may help pedophiles avoid committing crimes.

Read the full story

Border Patrol Agents Report More than 300,000 Apprehensions, Gotaways in December Alone

At least 225,797 people were apprehended entering the U.S. illegally nationwide in December, according to official U.S. Customs and Border Protection data released late Friday.

Combining official apprehension data with preliminary Border Patrol reported gotaway data obtained by The Center Square – a record 87,631 in gotaways – December numbers total at least 313,428, another record.

December’s total was greater than November’s record-breaking total of at least 306,069.

Read the full story

GOP Lawmaker Floats Mechanism to Default Spending to Current Levels to Avert Debt Ceiling Crises

With the nation stuck at its $31.38 trillion debt limit and the Department of the Treasury imposing “extraordinary measures” to keep the government running, one GOP lawmaker is floating a new proposal to default federal spending to current levels to avert recurring standoffs over raising the debt ceiling.

Democrats are demanding a vote on a clean debt ceiling increase, while House Republicans, in particular the party’s conservative wing, hope to match any such increase with spending cuts. The White House has thus far rebuffed calls from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to negotiate.

Read the full story

Sacred Heart Professor to Resign after 40 Years Following Alleged Dispute over Diversity Requirements

Gary Rose, political science and global affairs chair and professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, will retire from the institution this spring after 40 years of teaching following an alleged dispute regarding curriculum change and diversity programming.

The Dean of the Department of Arts & Sciences, Mark Beekey, had asked Rose to implement within his department “new courses and diversity stuff added to the curriculum,” Ryan Silverstein, a Sacred Heart alumni and Rose’s former research assistant, told The College Fix in a telephone interview.

Read the full story

School Choice Legislation Is Likely from Georgia Lawmakers this Session

Georgia lawmakers are almost certain to discuss school funding and even school choice legislation during this year’s legislative session.

“I think we’re going to have a very robust discussion when it comes to school funding, when it comes to vouchers and other issues that come before us,” House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, said during a press conference this week. “I believe we have … a very diverse state when it comes to education funding, whether you’re from rural Georgia, or whether you’re from urban Georgia, and how funding impacts us all and comes into this equation.”

Read the full story

Arizona State Rep. David Cook Seeks Financial Aid to Get I-10 Widening Project Underway

Arizona State Rep. David Cook (R-Globe) announced Thursday that he is seeking federal aid in financing a project to widen Interstate 10 (I-10) between Chandler and Casa Grande.

“The state of Arizona has invested a total of $630 million into this project to date. The Mega grant is the missing piece that will finally complete this essential artery and bring relief to thousands of residents throughout Arizona and the country,” Cook wrote.

Read the full story

Commentary: Anonymous ‘Dark’ Money Plus Unions Generally Equals Corrupt Politics

It is critical that Tennesseans and Americans trust their election process. Almost certainly, cash is being funneled into obscure organizations in our state to attempt to influence and win elections – and shape future policies. Our state has been rocked by political scandals throughout our history. One incident – “The Battle of Athens” has been immortalized for standing up to corruption. A recent Tennessee Speaker of the House, Glen Casada, awaits trial on bribery and kickback charges later this year.

It is easy to observe that teacher unions have donated millions to political campaigns, mostly going to Democratic candidates and committees. Since 2010, Democrats replaced Republicans in dark money spending. Nobody likes to talk about the millions spent on private jets, Broadway shows, or luxury retreats by the Republican National Committee. Where did that money come from?

Read the full story

Audit of Florida Veterans’ Nursing Homes Finds Staffing and Procurement Issues

The State Florida Auditor General released this week the results of an audit into the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, which analyzed the department’s nursing home staffing, time and attendance records and followed up a 2019 audit.

The first issue surrounded staff members missing meal breaks during shifts that ranged from 6 to 16 hours, while other staff were missing their entitled two 30-minute breaks during double shifts.

According to the department’s own procedures and policies, staff members must have written approval from a supervisor to be able to work through meal breaks.

Read the full story

Virginia Senate Subcommittee Recommends Against Legislation to Provide Medically-Assisted Death for Terminally Ill Patients

A Virginia Senate subcommittee recommended against a bill that would have allowed terminally ill people to request a medically-assisted death after Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke City) joined with Republicans in opposition; the bill will still go before the full Senate Education and Health Committee for consideration.

“I know this is a very sensitive issue, but this is an issue about which I’ve heard from so many individuals and families who have requested an option to have control over their final decisions as they reach they end of their life,” SB 930 sponsor Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) said in the Health Professions subcommittee on Friday morning.

Read the full story

Texas Representative Gooden Calls on Administration to Investigate Gifts to Penn from China

A Texas congressman is asking the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) to investigate funding that foreign entities have bestowed on the University of Pennsylvania.

Last week, U.S. Representative Lance Gooden (R-TX-5) authored a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in which he noted that $51 million flowed to the Philadelphia Ivy League university from non-American sources in 2021 and 2022. Of those donations, $14 million came from unnamed Chinese or Hong Kong entities and $2.4 million came from Saudi Arabia. 

Read the full story

Governor Kemp, Atlanta Mayor, and Other Officials Condemn Violence in Atlanta

Georgia state and Atlanta officials criticized a violent protest in the city on Saturday; Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said that some business’ windows were broken and a police car was set on fire, but said that no citizens or officers were injured.

“The City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Police Department will not tolerate this and we continue to protect the right to peacefully protest. We will not tolerate violence or property destruction,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a Saturday press conference, according to 11Alive video.

Read the full story

Ohio Lawmakers File Bill to Overhaul the State’s Medical Marijuana Program

Two Republican state lawmakers in Ohio have introduced a bill to change the state’s medical marijuana regulations, which would allow more people to use cannabis for medicinal purposes and establish a new state agency to manage the program.

Senate Bill (SB) 9, sponsored by State Senators Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) and Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), is similar to another proposal from the previous legislative session, SB 261, which was passed by the Ohio Senate in December 2021 but was defeated in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Auditor Digs up $20,000 Pension Underpayment After Miscalculations

The latest batch of audits for municipal pension plans show a few localities received too much in state aid — and one error led to a $20,000 underpayment.

In West Caln Township in Chester County, officials reported inaccurate data for their 14-person non-uniformed pension plan and 4-person police pension plan. As a result, the non-uniformed plan understated payroll by $11,000, leading to a $700 underpayment from the state.

The police pension plan understated payroll by $73,000, leading to a $19,000 underpayment.

Read the full story

‘Absurd’: Harvard Medical Course Teaches Students About LGBTQ+ Infants

A course being offered at Harvard Medical School claims that there are infants within the LGBTQ+ community. 

“Caring for Patients with Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities, and Sex Development,” the course in question, is a four-week class that aims to teach students how to “provide high-quality, culturally responsive care for patients with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and sex development.”

Read the full story

Commentary: The Greatest Refutation of the 1619 Project May Come from a French Liberal

Perhaps, we as 21st-century Americans should adopt some humility surrounding our own abilities to interpret and understand the motivations and events encompassing the founding and early years of our nation, lest we run the risk of rewriting and corrupting our history. It has now been nearly two and half centuries since George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and the numerous other brave and distinguished signers of the Declaration sent this young, impetuous nation into bloody battle in the hopes of securing liberty and independence.

Read the full story

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen: Paper Ballot Statute, Ban on Voting Machine Internet Connectivity Among 2023 Legislative Priorities

Although he has been in office for only a few days, Secretary of State Wes Allen has some legislative priorities in mind for the 2023 session.

During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5 on Thursday, Allen said he hoped to pick on two efforts from a year earlier dealing with paper ballots and the connectivity of voting machines.

Read the full story