SCOTUS Justice Alito Halts Limits on Abortion Pill Access, Blocking Lower Court Rulings

Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito on Friday blocked lower court rulings that curtailed access to mifepristone while the court weighs a request from the Biden administration to defend the drug in court. The administration hopes to defend the drug’s approval in court in the face of a legal challenge from anti-abortion groups that had brought the initial suit, Reuters reported. Alito’s order asks both sides to submit arguments by Tuesday on whether the limits from the appeals court should take effect, pending litigation, the Associated Press reported.

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Video Shows State Rep. Justin Jones Blocking Traffic, Assaulting Drivers During 2020 Riot

A graphic video being shared on social media shows State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) blocking traffic and assaulting a driver during a riot in the summer of 2020.

The video, first posted in 2021 by local blog Scoop Nashville, shows Jones picking up a traffic cone and jamming it through the driver’s side window of an oncoming car, apparently trying to block the truck from proceeding.

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DOJ to Ask Supreme Court to Intervene in Abortion Pills Case

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the Texas abortion pills case, it announced Thursday.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said Thursday that the DOJ “strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.” On Wednesday night, the Fifth Circuit granted in part the government’s emergency motion for a stay pending appeal on a federal judge’s decision to suspend U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the abortion pill, allowing the suspension on relaxed rules introduced by the FDA after 2016 to stand.

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Feinstein Asks Schumer for Temporary Replacement on Judiciary amid Long Absence, Calls to Resign

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Wednesday that she intends to return to the Senate upon recovering from shingles, but she also asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to meanwhile appoint a temporary replacement for her on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Her absence from the committee, and her vote, has stalled the confirmation of President Biden judicial nominees – the biggest political concern among fellow Senate Democrats regarding her absence. 

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Biden HHS Transgender Official Rachel Levine Applauds Rise in Trans-Affirming Training in Medical Schools

An LGBTQ activist group’s video series features Biden’s top Health and Human Services (HHS) official Rachel [Richard] Levine, M.D. celebrating an influx of LGBTQ individuals into the medical field and the idea that gender ideology is now expanding in medical school training.

In a video from the series called “Authentic Voices of Pride,” produced by LGBTQ Nation, Levine, the assistant secretary for health at HHS, says it is important for healthcare providers to offer “culturally competent care,” a narrative of the Biden administration that uses the Marxist strategy of labeling a campaign that intends to be divisive with a seemingly innocuous name to make it easy to condemn those who disagree with it.

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Tennessee Three Voted Against School Safety Bill amid Riot, Gun Control Controversy

On the same day that State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives, they voted, along with State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knox County), against a school safety bill that overwhelmingly passed the legislative body.

The trio and State Representative Torrey Harris (D-Memphis) were the only House legislators that voted against House Bill 0322.

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Constitutional Law Expert: Democrats’ Call for DOJ Probe into Tennessee State Lawmakers’ Expulsions Is ‘Ridiculous Political Grandstanding’

The left’s press to paint the expulsions of two disorderly Democratic lawmakers from the Tennessee House of Representatives as an assault on civil rights is moving into overdrive, but constitutional law experts predict the effort will go nowhere — even for President Joe Biden’s politically weaponized Justice Department. 

A group of U.S. Senate Democrats led by Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is calling on the DOJ to investigate the Republican-controlled Tennessee House’s removal of State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis). 

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After Abe Hamadeh Files New Pleading in Request for Retrial Alleging Hobbs Withheld Evidence, Judge Grants Oral Arguments

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen scheduled oral arguments for May 16 on whether Abe Hamadeh should get a new trial.

Jantzen dismissed his complaint challenging his loss to Kris Mayes for Arizona Attorney General in December. Jantzen’s ruling came shortly after Hamadeh filed an additional pleading to bolster his request, which accused then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs of withholding evidence from him and cited new arguments due to the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling in Kari Lake’s election contest.

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Virginia Lawmakers Approve Gov. Youngkin’s Amendments to Hemp Bills

Virginia lawmakers approved amendments proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to a pair of bills establishing regulations on hemp-derived products in the commonwealth, which includes a provision allowing some products containing both THC and CBD that are used therapeutically to remain on store shelves. 

The politically-divided General Assembly flocked to Richmond Wednesday to reconvene for a one-day session to consider the governor’s proposed amendments to 78 bills and three vetoes. Some of the governor’s amendments proposed technical changes to measures, while others proposed entire substitute bills. 

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Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey’s Office Pressed on Violence, Damage in Mellon Square Park

Pittsburgh Democratic Mayor Ed Gainey’s record on crime and city-property oversight are receiving heightened scrutiny in light of conditions at Mellon Square Park. 

In an email shared via Twitter by KDKA radio host Marty Griffin and Allegheny Councilman Sam DeMarco (R-At-Large) on Wednesday, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Chief Executive Officer Catherine Qureshi urged city officials to address violence and damage at the park. Located in Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle business district, the modernist plaza that sits atop a parking garage has existed since the mid-20th century and regional leaders have deemed it a major feature of their open-space preservation efforts. It reopened for the season about two weeks ago, Qureshi noted, and already problems abound. 

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Connecticut’s Early Voting Costs Could Top $9 Million

Early Voting

Connecticut’s embrace of early voting will make it more convenient for millions to cast a ballot, but comes with a hefty price tag for the state and local governments.

That’s according to a new report by the state’s Office of Fiscal Analysis, which determined the move could cost from $6.9 million to $9.2 million over the next several years, depending on how many days of early voting are offered. 

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Documents: Concert Promoter Giant Live Nation’s Subsidiaries Weren’t Eligible for Millions of Dollars in COVID Grants

Subsidiaries of behemoth concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment received $20 million in federal COVID grants that they were not entitled to, according to a Wisconsin Daily Star review of documents.

Madison-based Frank Productions Concerts, LLC and National Shows 2, LLC of Delaware, each received $10 million from the Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venues Operator Grant (SVOG) program — funding that was clearly marked for independent operators, not subsidiaries of publicly traded companies.

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As DeSantis Takes on Woke Universities, Key Supporter Gives Harvard $300 Million

Even as Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to galvanize conservatives with his efforts to combat woke political indoctrination in public schools and universities, his largest donor last election cycle is making headlines for a colossal donation to Harvard University.

Harvard announced this week that hedge fund billionaire and GOP megadonor Ken Griffin had donated $300 million to the school’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The university, in turn, intends to rename its Graduate School of Arts and Sciences after him. A graduate of Harvard, Griffin is the CEO of Citadel investing firm.

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International Trade Committee Adopts Plan to Boost Arizona’s Foreign Reach and Business Opportunities

Arizona State Representative David Cook (R-Globe) announced Thursday that the House International Trade Committee had its first official meeting Monday and has adopted a new plan to increase Arizona’s standings in the world’s economy.

“The Great State of Arizona is going through a transformative process in the international arena,” said Cook. “Our economy is growing, and foreign stakeholders are looking at Arizona for opportunities, including foreign direct investment in the semiconductor industry and trade in the EV-market and innovation. Our first International Trade Committee hearing sends a message to the World that Arizona is the place for doing business.”

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Eight Toledo Financial Managers Indicted for Defrauding $72 Million from over 200 Clients

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Department of Commerce Director Sherry Maxfield announced on Tuesday that the managers of a Lucas County investment firm have been indicted on multiple felony charges in a decade-long scheme to defraud at least 200 clients out of $72 million.

Eight managers from Northwest Capital were charged with 204 felony counts in all, most of which were related to misleading and defrauding investors of tens of millions of dollars.

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Legal Argument by Dem Election Superlawyer Will Aid GOP Challenge, ‘Upend’ Arizona AG Race: Hamadeh

A legal argument by Democrats’ go-to election superlawyer Marc Elias may boomerang to “upend the Arizona Attorney General race,” according to defeated GOP nominee Abe Hamadeh, who is challenging the election in court.

Hamadeh is suing his opponent, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, to ensure all votes were counted in their midterm election contest, which Hamadeh lost by just 280 votes, according to an automatic statewide recount.

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GOP State Representatives Question Arizona School District over Apparent Audit Failures

State Representatives Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) and Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria) announced Wednesday that they are seeking answers from the Gadsden Elementary School District (GESD) after it did not implement some financial accountability measures.

“Allowing this practice to continue some 30 months after they were caught is troubling,” said Gress and Pingerelli in a joint statement. “The audits from the Arizona Auditor General are consequential reviews and are not to be mocked with inaction. These audits are one of the few independent tools the Legislature has to measure efficiency, effectiveness, and legal compliance in the state’s largest annual investment, K-12 education. The Legislature, and the public, are due answers from Gadsden Elementary.”

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Commentary: ‘Street Legal’ Rules Must Avoid Pitfalls and Potholes

Across the country, policymakers are grappling with surging road maintenance expenses along with the casualties and costs of traffic accidents. According to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “[t]he $340 billion cost of motor vehicle crashes represents the equivalent of $1,035 for each of the 328 million people in the United States and 1.6% of the $21.4 trillion real U.S. gross domestic product for 2019.” Infrastructure repair will cost taxpayers an astounding $2.6 trillion over the next ten years. 

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Commentary: Importing Poverty Is Making America Poor

For much of the post-World War II era, America has been expected by many of its citizens to be a benevolent King Midas to the rest of the world. We have attained unprecedented levels of prosperity, and we are expected to share that with anyone seeking to improve their conditions.

While such philanthropy may cause hearts to swell with good feelings, it often comes at a steep price. At a time when America is showing all the characteristics of an empire in decline, that price has now become a crippling burden.

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