Month: January 2023

Goldwater Institute Calls on Tucson School District to Cease Unlawful Union Practices

Neil Jones

The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) demanded Thursday that the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) stop an unlawful practice of making it difficult for employees to leave a union.

“We think it is critically important for government employers to respect public employees’ constitutional rights. Under the U.S. and Arizona constitutions, no one can be forced to remain a member of — or make payments to — any private organization, particularly if it engages in speech or political activity the person disagrees with. Unions are no exception and should not be making deals with government entities to trap public employees into being union members or paying union dues,” said GI Staff Attorney Parker Jackson in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.

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Bill to Repay Loans of Mental Health Professionals Clears Virginia House Committee

The Center Square

A bill to create a loan repayment program for Virginia mental health professionals sailed through a House of Delegates subcommittee Thursday, receiving bipartisan approval from a panel of lawmakers. 

House Bill 1534, authored by Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Portsmouth, and supported by other Democratic lawmakers, proposes the creation of a Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment Program for professionals who have worked in the mental health field in Virginia for at least five years. 

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Hamilton County Republican Party Names Melissa Powers as Next County Prosecutor

Hannah Poling

Melissa Powers, a former juvenile court judge, has been chosen by the Hamilton County Republican Party to serve as the county’s next prosecutor.

The Hamilton County Republican Party’s central committee met late Thursday afternoon at Clovernook Country Club in North College Hill to choose Joe Deters’ successor after his appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court. Powers, who did not seek re-election to the juvenile court bench last year, received a resounding majority of the vote.

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Catholic Universities Continue to Endorse Pro-Abortion Agenda

Admin

Wednesday marked the start of this year’s National March for Life, the first since the right to an abortion was federally overruled in June of last year in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. 

In light of the impending Dobbs decision, Alcindor stated in May of last year that she was worried about “women who are poor, women of color [being] forced to have pregnancies that they cannot afford to terminate, and pregnancies that will then turn into children” if states ban abortion.

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Commentary: Read Something Other than Current Politics

Admin

by Anthony Esolen   American professors who call themselves liberals almost always do one of three things when it comes to reading old books. They ditch them, they disparage them, or they wrench them out of joint so that they can be made to do obeisance to what all correct-thinking people are supposed to believe and speak today. Not all of them do so; I have known some who have not. But in the preponderant majority, they do, and they are proud of it. And thus do they foreclose one of the most readily available means of educating themselves and others; and it should go without saying that when professors who call themselves conservatives do the like, they too are in the wrong. It is not just that reading the old books gives you an opening toward truths that your own society has overlooked. That is certainly true, but it is not the point I wish to make here. It is that when you get away from the fury of your own political issues, you have a chance, born of leisure and human sympathy, to think about complex matters in a mature, even-handed, and impartial way. Let me give an…

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Commentary: Miss Universe Is Just the Latest Organization Erasing Women

Admin

Another day, another biological male stealing the spotlight from biological females in the name of feminism and equality. A new Miss Universe was crowned on Saturday and the transgender owner of the organization, Anne Jakrajutatip, took to the stage claiming to “celebrate women” and the supposed female-led future the beauty pageant. 

Jakrajutatip took over ownership of the Miss Universe Organization last year from IMG Worldwide LLC, which previously bought the pageant from former President Donald Trump. Jakrajutatip is the first transgender owner of the organization in its 71 years of existence—or, as Jakrajutatip now claims, the “first woman owner.” 

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ICE Releases Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Affected by Data Leak

Admin

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released nearly 3,000 illegal immigrants from custody after they were affected by a data leak, an agency spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The late November accidental data breach involved the leaking of names, birth dates, nationalities and detention locations of approximately 6,000 illegal immigrants, according to ICE. The information was on ICE’s website for five hours before it was taken down.

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New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith at March for Life: ‘Pro-Abortion Culture’ Is a ‘Modern-Day Flat Earth Society’

Susan Berry, PhD

The co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus told thousands of advocates for life on the National Mall in Washington, DC, that the “pro-abortion culture of denial” is a “modern-day flat earth society” that “continues to deny, devalue, and disrespect unborn baby girls and boys and trivialize the harm suffered by women.”

On Friday, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) spoke at the 50th annual March for Life – the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

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College Math a ‘White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space,’ Vanderbilt Professor Says at Major Conference

Admin

An education professor delivered a lecture in early January at a major mathematician meeting that described college math as “white” and “cisheteropatriarchal.”

“Undergraduate Mathematics Education as a White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space and Opportunities for Structural Disruption to Advance Queer of Color Justice” was the full title of the lecture given by Luis Leyva, associate professor of mathematics education at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.

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Metro Nashville Public Schools Limits What the Public May Say at Board Meetings

TC Weber

The Metro Nashville Public School Board is changing the way that it hears from its constituents. In Chairwoman Rachael Elrod’s view, this is less a change in policy and more of enforcing a policy already in existence. As a result of this new interpretation, the public will be granted more opportunities to publicly address board members but less leeway in what they can talk about. Public participation is scheduled at every meeting, but the only topics open during public participation, are those included in the published agenda. 

In a Facebook post dated January 10, Elrod lays out her reasoning to constituents. She writes, “Our public participation policy has been in place since 2017 (before I was on the board) and was most recently updated in March 2022. It has said, since 2017, that public participation should “address the board on an item on the agenda,” she continues with, “After making sure that internal teams could manage this change in enforcement and with no colleague proposing changes to the policy, I announced that I will begin enforcing this policy in 2023.”

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NYC Aims to Give 10,000 Free Abortions a Year Through New Program

Admin

New York City began offering free chemical abortions through a Bronx clinic Wednesday as part of a new program, which is slated to expand to several other boroughs this year, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.

The city already offers abortion pills at some hospitals, but will be expanding the program to clinics in the Bronx, Queens, Harlem and Brooklyn in the coming year, according to Adams. The program will aim to provide 10,000 free abortions by pill each year, according to CNN.

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Hunter Biden’s China-Linked Company Paid $49,910 Security Deposit for Washington D.C Office at the House of Sweden

Admin

The monthly rent Hunter Biden listed on a background screening form in 2018 exactly matches the security deposit he paid for an office at the House of Sweden in Washington D.C. the year before. In the 2018 document, the younger Biden listed Joe Biden’s Delaware mansion as his residence, and claimed that he was paying a whopping $49,910 a month in monthly rent.

Joe Biden stored a number of classified documents in the library and alongside his Corvette in the garage of his house in Greenville, Delaware, an upscale suburb of Wilmington.

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Temporary Victory Achieved in the Goldwater Institute’s Free Speech Lawsuit Against Phoenix

Neil Jones

The Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Wednesday that its lawsuit against the City of Phoenix has resulted in a judge barring it from enforcing its “Clean Zone” law, at least for the next week.

“Phoenix residents and business owners shouldn’t have to beg the NFL for permission to freely communicate with the public on their own property. Yesterday’s temporary injunction ensures they don’t have to — and we hope that city leaders will do the right thing and repeal this unconstitutional mandate at next week’s City Council meeting,” said GI Staff Attorney John Thorpe in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.

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Ohio Attorney General Sues Fake Home Warranty Company After over 1,200 Consumer Complaints

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a “home warranty” firm and its administrator due to misleading and unethical business tactics.

Since 2018, more than 1,200 consumers combined have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office about Amazon Home Warranty, a Wyoming company based in New Jersey that uses a Columbus customer-service address, and Amazon Warranty Administrators, which lists a Dublin address but is not, as required by state law, registered with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.

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Ohio Casino Control Commission Considers Banning Sports Bettors Who Harass College Athletes Online

Hannah Poling

According to its executive director, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) may examine the prospect of banning Ohio sports gamblers who harass college athletes over gambling losses on social media.

OCCC Executive Director Matt Schuler said he would ask the commission to look into adding any Ohio sports bettor to a sports betting exclusion list if they harass college athletes based on the outcome of a sports bet.

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Amid Renewed Controversy, Penn Scholars Defend Opposition to China Initiative to Catch Spies

Bradley Vasoli

Revelations that President Joe Biden kept classified federal documents at his University of Pennsylvania office in Washington, D.C., have brought renewed scrutiny to his relationship with the university — and the role many Penn professors had in persuading his administration to kill a Justice Department project combatting Chinese espionage.

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Attorney General Carr: In First Six Months, Gang Prosecution Unit Indicted 50 Alleged Gang Members

Eric Burk

Attorney General Chris Carr touted the work done by his new Gang Prosecution Unit launched in July; since then, the unit has indicted 50 alleged gang members across 13 counties, he told legislators on Wednesday.

The Georgia gang investigators estimate that 60 percent of violent crimes are gang-related, so this unit’s creation is perfectly timed to be a force multiplier in this fight,” Carr said in a presentation to the money committees. “With the new unit, we’ve been working hand-in-hand with local, state, and federal law enforcement to ensure that violent criminals are aggressively prosecuted and put behind bars.”

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Youngkin Felt Rejected Ford Battery Plant Deal Was ‘Deceptive’ Effort to Dodge Intent of Inflation Reduction Act

Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – Governor Glenn Youngkin said Thursday that he felt that Ford’s partnership with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) to build a battery factory potentially sited in Virginia seemed like an effort to dodge the intent behind the Inflation Reduction Act, and accused The Richmond Times-Dispatch of ignoring facts in reporting on his decision to block the economic development opportunity from going forward in the Commonwealth.

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Commentary: Mexico Is Not Really an American Friend

Admin

Left-wing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently praised a visiting Joe Biden: “Just imagine: There are 40 million Mexicans in the United States—40 million who were born here in Mexico, [or] who are the children of people who were born in Mexico!” 

Why wouldn’t Obrador be delighted? Since Biden took office in January 2021, America has allowed some 5-6 million illegal entries across its southern border. 

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Ohio State Representative Merrin Unveils Proposal of Ethics Reform Package

Hannah Poling

Republicans in the Ohio House are pushing to modify the state’s ethics laws to, among other things, limit elected officials’ ability to serve on corporate boards and require more transparency from lobbyists and utility board applicants.

Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), flanked by 11 of the 43 Republicans who backed him for speaker, unveiled proposed legislation, called the “Ohio Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform Act,” which would make lobbyists disclose all of the money they receive from each client and forbid elected officials from serving on corporate boards of directors after being elected.

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Lamont Pitches Plan to Overhaul Connecticut’s Pass-Through Tax Credit

The Center Square

Gov. Ned Lamont wants to update Connecticut’s pass-through entity tax credit, which he says will save business owners, and the state more money.

The plan, a key component of Lamont’s yet-to-be-unveiled budget proposal, calls for restoring Connecticut’s pass-through entity tax credit back to its original level of 93.01%, allowing certain business owners to claim a larger credit on personal income tax returns.

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New Survey Shows Wisconsin Businesses See Recession Ahead

M.D. Kittle

Battered by ongoing high inflation, a majority of Wisconsin businesses see a recession ahead, according to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s latest Wisconsin Employer Survey.

WMC’s survey finds 60 percent of businesses believe the Badger State economy is headed for a recession this year. On the surface, the number appears to be an improvement from last summer’s survey when 71 percent of respondents worried a recession was looming. But Nick Novak, WMC’s vice president of communications and marketing, said more employers moved from being sure about a recession to uncertain about the economy.

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We the People AZ Alliance Says No to Stephen Richer’s Elections Improvement Plan

Neil Jones

Shelby Busch, chairman of the We the People AZ Alliance (WTPAZ), released a statement Tuesday, picking apart and rejecting a proposal introduced by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, which presented ideas on improving elections in Arizona.

“I encourage Maricopa County voters to immediately reject this plan and tell Mr. Richer that we deserve secure elections not convenient elections,” said Busch.

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Pennsylvania School District Policy Advises Teachers to Avoid Informing Parents of Children’s Gender Identity Changes

Susan Berry, PhD

The Upper Moreland School District in Pennsylvania proposed a new policy that advises teachers and staff to avoid telling parents their children’s gender identity or pronoun preferences, and to focus specifically on school-related, not gender, issues when speaking with parents.

The school district discussed its proposed policy related to “Transgender and Gender Diverse Students at a board meeting on Tuesday.

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Former Arizona AG Attorney Joins Abe Hamadeh’s Election Challenge Team Due to New AG ‘Targeting’ Her

Rachel Alexander

The former Election Integrity Unit civil attorney for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office is making it clear she does not believe the new Attorney General is rightfully in office. Jennifer Wright, who resigned before Democrat Kris Mayes took office — but who Mayes’ office claimed was fired to journalists, causing Wright to start the process for a libel lawsuit — has joined the legal team of Mayes’ opponent, Republican Abe Hamadeh, who is challenging the results of the extremely close election. 

Wright tweeted that she initially turned down Hamadeh’s offer, but changed her mind “after @krismayes targeted me by falsely and unlawfully planting a hit on me on @azcentral.” She said “it became clear that left unchecked, the new admin intended to abuse their power.” 

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Dumped Professor Sues Minnesota College for Calling Her Muhammad Depiction ‘Islamophobic’

Just the News

A small liberal arts college with social-justice roots. A community member accused of career-ending discrimination against a minority. And an administration that repeatedly trumpets those accusations, which were made by student activists and hinged on an extreme interpretation of a largely undisputed factual record. 

Those circumstances cost Ohio’s Oberlin College over $36 million in damages, interest and legal fees last year in a defamation lawsuit brought by a family-owned bakery accused of racial profiling for tackling a black student shoplifter.

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Commentary: New Abortion Numbers Don’t Show Whole Picture, Especially with Do-It-Yourself Abortions on the Rise

Admin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute each released new reports last November about abortion data for 2020, showing conflicting reports of a decrease in abortions versus a significant increase. While the lack of clarity in the number of abortions is alarming, the spread of do-it-yourself at-home abortions means that neither report is telling the whole story.

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CDC Regularly Called the Shots on Facebook’s COVID-19 Censorship Decisions, Docs Show

Admin

Facebook routinely took direction from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding COVID-19 moderation and fact-checking policies throughout 2021, according to documents published Thursday by Reason.

Facebook regularly reached out to CDC staff throughout the year, requesting guidance on the accuracy of claims about both COVID-19 vaccines and the disease itself, in addition to guidance on whether the claims might “cause harm,” according to Reason. The social media titan would regularly make decisions based on this communication, notably reversing its monthslong prohibition on users claiming that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory on May 26, 2021, after a conversation with CDC staff the week prior informed the company that, while “extremely unlikely,” the virus having a man made origin was “theoretically possible.”

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Biden Has No Answers on Chain of Custody for Classified Documents from His Time as VP Discovered in His Residence and Penn Biden Center Offices

Admin

President Biden has failed to provide an explanation for the chain of custody for classified documents from his time as vice president discovered at three locations in his private residence in Wilmington, Delaware – in his library, in a room adjacent to the garage, and in a box in his garage where he keeps his Corvette–and at the Penn Biden Center offices in Washington, D.C., his base of operations during 2018 and 2019.

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Why We March: Historic 50th March for Life, First in Post-Roe Era

Susan Berry, PhD

Thousands of pro-life Americans and advocates from other nations will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Friday to celebrate the 50th March for Life, the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund says the theme for the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration is “Next Steps: Marching into a Post-Roe America,” one that calls pro-life advocates to continue their work in defense of the unborn and their mothers on both the state and federal level, including advocacy for “a minimum federal standard to protect innocent life against radical pro-abortion legislation.”

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