by John Hugh DeMastri A growing number of states and cities are considering or implementing bans for the future construction of not just gas stoves, but natural gas hookups themselves, a move that would raise costs for consumers and potentially have negative environmental consequences, natural gas advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Lawmakers in the state of Minnesota introduced legislation Wednesday that would permit the state’s Commissioner of Labor and Industry to amend the state’s energy code to “mitigate the impact of climate change,” a directive that could be used to justify a ban on natural gas, according to the free-market Minnesota think-tank Center of the American Experiment. California and New York are weighing statewide bans which would not only increase costs, but may not have the climate benefits advocates hope for, Dan Kish, senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research told the DCNF. “Natural gas is our cleanest fossil [fuel] and it is responsible for the U.S. reducing carbon dioxide emissions more than other country, largely because we have centuries of the stuff.” Kish told the DCNF. “God blessed North America with enormous energy wealth, and our only impediment is power-hungry politicians who want to make energy more expensive and more foreign, while bossing…
Read the full storyMonth: February 2023
Lois Lerner 2.0: IRS Chilling Dissent with Interrogation of Nonprofit, Election Integrity Activist Says
Much as the Obama IRS targeted conservative groups for audits, the tax collection agency has subjected an elections nonprofit to a battery of prying questions about its policy positions, language choices and methodology for arriving at correct opinions and conclusions prior to peremptorily rejecting its application for tax-exempt status without appeal.
Starting in 2010, the IRS Exempt Organizations Unit directed by Lois Lerner targeted the Tea Party and other conservative groups for intrusive scrutiny, effectively freezing them with lengthy audits. After the politically motivated harassment was exposed in 2013, the Obama administration claimed to find the IRS actions “inexcusable.” But after Lerner invoked her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Congress and the House cited her for contempt, the Obama Justice Department declined to pursue criminal charges.
Read the full storyReport: Kyrsten Sinema Founded Consulting Firm with Former State Rep. Chad Campell, who has Ties to Predatory Loan Interests
A new report from The Intercept_ shows that Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I) founded a consulting firm known as Forza Consulting, LLC (FCLLC) in partnership with former State Rep. Chad Campell (D-Phoenix), who has supported payday lending interests in the past.
According to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), the FCLLC was formed in September 2007, with Sinema and former State Rep. David Lujan (D-Phoenix) listed as the Managers. Campbell was listed as a member, and the company is still active, according to the ACC.
Read the full storyPolice Reports: ‘Strange’ Man Threatened to Drive Jeep Into Kari Lake Event In Iowa
The Iowa Star has learned that an unidentified man threatened to drive his Jeep into the suburban Des Moines venue where Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake was holding a rally Saturday evening.
The “scruffy and big” man, according to police incident reports obtained by The Star, “declared that he was god, and stated he would drive his vehicle through the bar doors.”
Read the full storySenator Ron Johnson Calls for ‘Maximum Transparency’ as More UFOs Are Shot Down
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said ‘maximum transparency” from the Biden administration is critical after the U.S. military shot down yet another unidentified flying object over the weekend — this time near Wisconsin airspace.
The incident marked the fourth aerial vessel struck down over North American airspace since Feb. 4, when U.S. fighter jets liquidated a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
Read the full storyParts of Georgia Grand Jury Report on 2020 Election to be Released This Week
Parts of the Georgia special grand jury report on efforts by former President Trump and his allies to alter the results of the 2020 election will be released this week, according to a judge’s ruling Monday.
Read the full storySouthern Florida Continues to See Record Apprehensions, Gotaways of Illegal Immigrants
In January, Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,402 foreign nationals illegally entering Florida, according to preliminary data obtained by The Center Square from a Border Patrol agent on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
They also reported 58 gotaways, those who were known and reported to have illegally entered and got evaded capture by law enforcement. Combined, these totaled 1,460.
Read the full storyFormer Longtime Iowa Governor Terry Branstad Says DNC Will Live to Regret Caucus Decision
The longest-serving governor in U.S. history says the Democratic National Committee made a huge mistake in turning its back on Iowa.
Terry Branstad, a Republican who served a record six terms as Iowa governor, tells The Iowa Star the DNC decision to cast aside the Hawkeye State’s preeminent position as host of the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses will prove costly.
Read the full storyCommentary: ‘Conservatives Need Not Apply’ Under Biden Administration’s Proposed Hiring Rules
In a move that has gotten little notice in the press, the Biden administration is proposing federal hiring rules that easily could be abused to deny employment to anyone who questions liberal, woke policies, criticizes the government, or belongs to a politically incorrect organization.
The vague, nebulous language of the proposed changes in existing government hiring regulations could be exploited and allow biased government managers to put up a virtual “Conservatives Need Not Apply” sign when it comes to the federal civil service, leaving rejected applicants with little recourse.
Read the full storyEcological Disaster Unfolds After Ohio Toxic Train Derailment; Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Ignores
The effects on the environment and the local population after a flaming train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio are still being assessed.
Following the derailment of 50 train carriages, 10 of which were carrying hazardous materials, in East Palestine on February 3rd, officials permitted locals to return home last week. Hundreds of residents had to be evacuated as a result of the controlled release of poisonous gasses that was carried out on February 6th to stop an explosion.
Read the full storyPennsylvania College System Announces Build-Out of a Credential Registry
Pennsylvania’s public college system wants to make it easier for students to know what skills they need for the careers they want.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education announced its plans to build a credential registry, which lists the types of certificates, certifications, and degrees they can earn at PASSHE schools.
Read the full storyWilson County School Board Ethics Committee Dismisses Most Complaints Against Conservative Board Member
The Wilson County Board of Education (WCBOE) Ethics Committee in Tennessee dismissed most of the complaints from nine parents and community members against retired Marine Joe Padilla, who won his Zone 4 seat in August along with three other conservative Republicans.
One speaker at the ethics committee meeting held Thursday evening, accused Padilla of posting to his Facebook account that he disagrees with transgender hormone drugs and surgeries for minors, claiming such a post constitutes “propping up right-wing talking points.”
Read the full storyWalz Officials Pull Homeschool Reporting Requirement After Minnesota Parents Speak Out
More than 100 homeschool advocates filled an overflow room during a Minnesota House of Representatives committee hearing this week on Gov. Tim Walz’s education policy bill.
Students and their parent educators were in attendance seeking answers as to why the bill, HF1269, included a provision that would require homeschool providers to submit their students’ standardized test scores to local school districts.
Read the full storyThe Goldwater Institute Refutes Claims from Katie Hobbs that the Universal ESA Program Will ‘Bankrupt’ Arizona
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) spoke with Shannon Bream of Fox News for an interview Sunday, where she spoke about her opinions of the State’s Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Hobbs is an open opponent of the program and told Bream that the program would “bankrupt our state” if allowed to continue; however, the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI), a proponent of the program, said this is far from the truth.
“This claim is completely detached from objective reality,” said GI Director of Education Policy Matt Beienburg in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times. “The ESA expansion makes up less than 2% of what is spent on Arizona public school students each year, is dwarfed by the hundreds of millions of dollars of extra funding added to public schools this year alone by state lawmakers, and provides students an education at thousands of dollars less per child than it would cost to educate them in the public school system.”
Read the full storyOhio Governor DeWine Aims to Double Sports Betting Tax Rate in Proposed Budget
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is attempting to double the tax rate from 10 percent to 20 percent just over a month after sports betting became legal in the state. This increase is part of his biennial executive budget plan for the 2024–2025 fiscal years.
The budget doubles the tax on sports wagering that casinos and teams operating mobile sportsbooks must pay. A Bloomberg Tax analysis shows that the tax is just a little bit higher than the average 19 percent levied by other states.
Read the full storyPanel Dismisses Complaint Against Wisconsin Justice Who Called Trump Election Lawsuit ‘Racist’
The Wisconsin Judicial Commission, a state oversight group, has dismissed a complaint against state Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky, who told former President Donald Trump’s attorney that his lawsuit over the 2020 election “smacks of racism” and was an attempt to make his “king stay in power.”
Read the full storySenator JD Vance Issues Statement on the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment
Ohio Senator JD Vance (R-OH) issued a statement Monday with questions regarding the 50-car freight train transporting hazardous goods that crashed earlier this month near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The crash was treated with a controlled release of chemicals to prevent an explosion.
Read the full storyWisconsin Senator Baldwin Proposes Tax Increase for Corporations With Overseas Locations
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is urging fellow members of Congress to pass a measure to raise taxes on corporations with operations in low-tax foreign countries.
The legislation, called the No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act, would effect American participation in a global minimum tax, a major Biden-administration policy priority. In 2021, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined 130 nations to negotiate a framework to equalize corporate taxation so companies could not escape high taxes in their home countries. Two months ago, all 27 member states of the European Union agreed on a plan for their involvement in such a system.
Read the full storyFormer Mesa Police Officer Indicted by Maricopa County Grand Jury for Counts of Endangerment
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell (R) announced Friday that former Mesa Police Officer Kaylon Hall was indicted by the Maricopa County Grand Jury for two counts of reckless endangerment.
“As County Attorney, I will hold those who break the law accountable. An individual’s profession does not impact decision making in my office when deciding if criminal charges are warranted. The community’s trust in our criminal justice system can only be achieved if those sworn to serve and protect are held accountable when criminal acts occur,” said Mitchell.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: HALIE
NBC’s Songland Winner and American Songwriter Alum, Halie has released “Heart Of A Man” for Valentine’s Day.
Read the full storyEmails Reveal National Archives Staff Worked to Quietly Collect Biden Records, After Escalating with Trump
The National Archives (NARA) coordinated with President Biden’s attorneys for the discreet collection of classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C., displaying a collaborative spirit in marked contrast to its adversarial stance toward Donald Trump and his legal team in the former president’s federal records case, newly disclosed emails reveal.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Chivalrous Advocates for Human Rights Behind Today’s Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day annoys many people.
For many in a relationship, the pressure to impress a partner can weigh heavily, and expensive gifts serve as a reminder of the relentless commercialization of the holiday. Meanwhile those still looking for love approach the day with trepidation – another reminder of their single status and the pressure to find a partner.
Read the full storyCalifornia School District Refuses to Let Parents Opt Kids Out of ‘Anti-Racist’ Classes
In California, a public school district is ordering its teachers to tell the parents of students that their children cannot opt out of diversity classes featuring “anti-racist” lessons, and gender and sexual identity.
According to the Daily Caller, the Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) gave the order in a staff-wide email dictating the terms of the district’s “Non- Discrimination & Harassment and Equity & Anti–Racism” policy. The order declares that any effort to let children opt out of such classes would be enabling “active discrimination.” While the email does say parents are allowed to opt their children out of classes on “comprehensive sexuality education,” they are still required to take classes with “anti-bias lessons about people who are LGBTQ.”
Read the full storySeattle Public Schools Consider Closures as Student Enrollment Plunges Post-Pandemic
Seattle Public Schools may have to close some of its schools over the next few years as the district battles budget shortages and plummeting enrollment after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the full storyCommentary: Republicans Can Expose Joe Biden’s Phony Nationalism by Embracing MAGA
Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, like his entire presidency, was an astonishingly cynical performance. There were plenty of hollow boasts about things Biden hasn’t actually achieved, but he went further than the usual partisan spin. He conveyed, to a primetime audience, a Potemkin village version of his administration’s goals. While he did plug gun control and an anti-police bill, there were few mentions of identity or race. He mostly talked about economics. In fact, he presented himself as a champion of national revitalization.
Read the full storyFBI Keeps Getting Burned by Reliance on Liberal Sources
A dossier alleging Russian collusion funded by a Democrat presidential candidate. A suggestion that school parents were domestic terrorists from a left-leaning school board group. A list suggesting old-fashioned Catholics were extremists from a liberal watchdog on hate speech.
Three triggers for investigation. Three blunders that left America’s premier law enforcement agency reeling with a black eye.
Read the full storyNearly 216,000 Apprehended, Gotaways Reported of Illegal Entries at Southern Border in January
At least 156,274 people illegally entered the U.S. in January, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data published on Friday, down 40% from 251,978 in December 2022, it says. The data excludes gotaway numbers referring to those who are known and reported to illegally enter between ports of entry, evade capture by law enforcement, and don’t return to Mexico or Canada.
Read the full storyUnited States Senator Marsha Blackburn on China Balloon: ‘The Chinese Communist Party Sees Joe Biden as Weak’
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed United States Senator Marsha Blackburn to the newsmaker line to comment on the Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States, the Biden family compromise, and economic effects of China.
Read the full storyTC Weber: No Good Candidates Yet in Nashville Mayoral Race
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Star education reporter TC Weber in studio to discuss the lack of good candidates for Nashville’s upcoming mayoral election.
Read the full storyState Senator Mark Pody on Differences Between House and Senate, Refusing Federal Government Dollars
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody to the newsmaker line to discuss the differences between the House and Senate and refusing money from the federal government for the state’s education.
Read the full storyTC Weber Provides Latest Details on Third Grade Retention Law
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Star education reporter TC Weber in studio to further explain the details of Tennessee’s third-grade retention law.
Read the full storyCrom’s Crommentary: How the Democrat Party Machine Lives off of Defined Benefits
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary.
Read the full storySoft-on-Crime Progressives Push for Laws to Prevent Traffic Stops for ‘Less Severe’ Violations
Leaders in multiple states and cities are embracing efforts to bar police from pulling drivers over for certain less-severe traffic violations, a move that some experts believe endangers public safety.
Lawmakers in Washington state are pushing a plan that would forbid police traffic stops conducted to address some lower-level traffic lawbreaking, and Oregon has already established a similar policy, while San Francisco is considering a city-wide plan of this kind after Los Angeles and Minneapolis instituted their own. Such restrictions could effectively impede enforcement against more serious offenses and put innocent civilians at risk, according to experts who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Read the full storyChanges Coming to Tennessee’s Standards Review and Textbook Adoption Timeline
A bill that would extend the textbook review and adoption period from 73 months to 97 months moved out of the Senate Education Committee and its counterpart will be heard on Tuesday morning in the House Education Instruction Subcommittee. The proposed measure, SB0421, would also impact the review period of state standards for English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. It is a change that comes from State Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), at the urging of the Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE).
Read the full storyWest Knoxville Bank Robber Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years in Prison
A 50-year-old man who currently resides in Crossville has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for robbing three banks in West Knoxville over a timespan of three days.
Read the full storyRed State Plans to Strip Accreditation from Schools That Allow ‘Pornography’ in Classroom
Oklahoma is planning to strip accreditation from schools that allow “pornographic” materials in its libraries, according to the state superintendent.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a new rule on Friday that would lower the accreditation status of any school districts if “pornographic materials or sexualized content” is available to minors through its libraries. Under the rule, school districts must list, either on an online catalog or to the Oklahoma Department of Education, all books and materials available in their libraries.
Read the full storyJanuary Migrant Encounters Hit New Low While Biden Admin Paroles Migrants into U.S.
Federal authorities encountered a new low of more than 150,000 migrants at the southern border in January while the Biden administration paroles thousands of others into the U.S., according to data U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released Friday.
CBP encountered 156,274 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in January, according to the agency. The new low coincides with a new series of policies the Biden administration began implementing for migrants to enter the country using parole authority.
Read the full storyTennessee Launches New Cost Share Program for Agricultural and Forestry Businesses
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) and Governor Bill Lee recently announced a new cost share program for agricultural and forestry businesses.
Read the full storyTennessee Attorney General Files Brief Challenging the FDA’s New Policy on Abortion Drug
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined 21 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the Northern District of Texas in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Read the full storySenator Grassley: A ‘Triad’ of Media, FBI, and Democrats Tried to Thwart Investigation into the Biden Family’s Corrupt Business Dealings
In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee’s first hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) detailed how a “triad” of partisan media, FBI, and Democrats used disinformation from a Russian agent to smear their investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.
In addition to Grassley, the committee on Thursday heard from Senator Ron Johnson (R- Wis.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former FBI agent Thomas Baker, Professor Jonathan Turley, and former FBI agent Nicole Parker.
Read the full storyCommentary: Spending Limits in Iowa Can Provide Property Tax Relief
Property taxes are a concern for taxpayers across the nation. Iowans, just as with many other states, are confronted with skyrocketing property taxes. The reason for high property taxes is local government spending. Spending drives taxes. This is the main reason why past property tax reforms in Iowa have failed to provide relief.
Montana state Rep. Caleb Hinkle understands that spending is driving higher property tax bills. To remedy this solution, he has introduced a local government spending limitation that will help slow the growth of local government spending and provide much-needed property tax relief.
Read the full storyOhio’s New Voting Reforms to Take Effect Early
Following an order from Secretary of State Frank LaRose to county boards of elections, voting reforms in Ohio that were signed into law last month will take effect sooner than anticipated.
The Ohio General Assembly adopted House Bill (HB) 458 in December and Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law in January of this year.
Read the full storyGeorgia Officials Award $150.3 Million Worth of Transportation Projects
The Georgia Department of Transportation awarded 31 projects valued at more than $150.3 million in December.
The largest single investment was a roughly $16 million award to E.R. Snell Contractor. As part of the project, the company will mill and resurface nearly 10.9 miles of U.S. Route 20/Georgia Highway 402 from west of Columbia Drive to the Rockdale-DeKalb county line.
Read the full storyFlorida Will No Longer Ask Students About Menstrual History on Medical Form Required to Play Sports
Florida schools will no longer ask student-athletes to share their menstrual histories to play high school sports, after an effort to make the optional questions mandatory.
The state’s High School Athletic Association’s board of directors voted 14-2 Thursday in an emergency session to adopt a proposal to remove the questions from a pre-participation physical evaluation form, according to NBC News.
Read the full storyWisconsin Congressman Sponsoring TikTok Ban Pleased to See Senate Effort Is Now Bipartisan
U.S. Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) this weekend expressed heightened optimism about the prospect of banning all American use of the video-sharing application TikTok after the Senate version of his bill to do so gained bipartisan support.
Last week, Senator Angus King, an independent who is a member of his chamber’s Democratic Caucus, joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) in cosponsoring the legislation, known as the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act). The measure has enjoyed bipartisan backing in the House of Representatives since its introduction in December, being cosponsored by Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8).
Read the full storyAnother Minnesota College Censors Art to Prevent ‘Non-Consensual Viewing’ by Muslim Students
Two liberal arts schools six minutes from each other in St. Paul, Minn., have explicitly subordinated Islam-related academic and artistic freedom to the feelings of Muslim students in recent months, alarming faculty both nationwide and closer to home.
Macalester College temporarily shut down and then added curtains to an art exhibit depicting partially exposed figures in hijabs and niqabs “to prevent unintentional or non-consensual viewing” after Muslim students complained, the administration said in an email Feb. 6 excerpted by Minnesota immigrant news nonprofit Sahan Journal.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Representative Proposes Election-Audit Reforms
Pennsylvania state Representative Dawn Keefer (R-Dillsburg) is asking the state General Assembly to support legislation she is drafting to require periodical audits of the commonwealth’s election registry.
The representative observed that an investigation by Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale that concluded in December 2019 discovered numerous problems with the accuracy of Pennsylvania’s voter records. DePasquale’s report determined, for example, that 24,408 registrations with the same driver’s license number appeared on other registrations. It also found that 2,991 active voter records contained information matching that displayed on Department of Health death notices.
Read the full storyCommentary: Biden’s Fumble on Corporate Taxes Would Leave Retirees in the Cold
During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden showed that when it comes to taxes, he is playing a game of yards, because companies, in his view, simply make too much money.
In his “Finish the Job” speech, Biden ran right up the middle of the field of investments set aside by workers who for decades thought they had made wise decisions on their own retirement plans.
Read the full storyTie House GOP Energy Production Agenda to Debt Limit, Budget Negotiations, Urges Montana Lawmaker
Montana Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale told Just the News that an effort is underway to connect legislation the GOP-led House passed dealing with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to a legislative package that raises the debt limit.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is locked in negotiations with the White House over a deal that increases the debt limit. He’s pushing for spending reductions in exchange for the GOP-led House voting to raise the debt ceiling.
Read the full storyCommentary: Gun Control Laws Backfiring in California
After the three public shootings over the last two weekends in California, Democrats are again clamoring for even more gun control laws. To California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the solution is to ban more places where people can carry permitted concealed handguns. Unfortunately, the proposal has nothing to do with stopping these attacks, and more gun-free zones only encourage these attacks. Other heavily Democratic states such as New York, New Jersey, and Maryland are making similar pushes.
Concealed handgun permit holders didn’t commit those or other mass public shootings. Permit holders are also extremely law-abiding, being convicted of firearms-related violations at 1/12th the rate of police officers.
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