Day: April 27, 2023

Fighters Seize Bio Lab in Sudan, Sparking Fears of Potential ‘Germ Bomb’

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A potential “germ bomb” of polio, measles and cholera pathogens is now in the hands of Sudanese fighters after they seized the National Public Health Laboratory in the nation’s capital Khartoum, according to reports. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization warned that the situation posed a “huge biological risk.”

“This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available,” said Nima Saeed Abidhe, the WHO’s representative in Sudan.

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DOJ Inspector General Has No Answer to How Many in Government Can Spy on Americans Through ‘Backdoor’ Searches

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Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz could not answer how many people in the federal government can use the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Americans through backdoor searches when Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz asked him at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Thursday.

FISA Section 702 enables intelligence agencies to carry out targeted surveillance of foreigners outside the U.S., but they have improperly used it on Americans. There were 3.4 million backdoor searches in 2021, according to an Office of the Director of National Intelligence 2022 Transparency report.

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The Tennessee Star Files Open Records Request with MNPD for Toxicology Report from Autopsy of Covenant Killer Audrey Hale

Peter D'Abrosca

The CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Star News Network Thursday filed an open records request with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), seeking the release of a toxicology report of Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the person who shot and killed six people at The Covenant School a month ago, at the time of Hale’s rampage.

Hale identified as transgender, and a toxicology report would identify what, if any, drugs were in Hale’s system at the time of the mass killing.

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EXCLUSIVE: Vivek Ramaswamy: ‘I’m Running to a Vision for What This Country Was Founded on, Revive the Idea of the Individual over Group Identity’

Julie Carr

Live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Thursday morning on The Jay Weber Show – weekdays on News/Talk 1130 WISN, guest host Matt Kittle, National Political Editor of The Star News Network, welcomed Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy to the show to discuss why he’s running and how he plans to move the America First movement further.

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DOJ Sues Tennessee over Limits on Gender-Related Treatments for Minors

Just the News

The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced that it had filed a complaint against state law in Tennessee barring certain gender-related treatments for minors.

“The Justice Department today filed a complaint challenging Tennessee Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), a recently enacted law that denies necessary medical care to youth based solely on who they are,” reads a DOJ press release. “The complaint alleges that SB 1’s ban on providing certain medically necessary care to transgender minors violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.”

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The Star News Network Files Legal Action Against FBI in Seeking Covenant School Killer’s Manifesto

M.D. Kittle

The Star News Network’s attorneys have filed a new case with the U.S. Department of Justice demanding the Federal Bureau of Investigation turn over Nashville mass shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto.

The Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) on Wednesday filed an administrative appeal with the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy after the FBI twice rejected The Star News Network’s Freedom of Information Act requests, seeking the expedited release of the documents.

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Gov. Lee Signs ‘Forever Homes Act’ into Law to Speed Up Adoption Process

Peter D'Abrosca

Gov. Bill Lee (R) this week signed into law a bill that streamlines the adoption process in Tennessee. 

“I signed the Forever Homes Act, legislation that will provide critical support to TN foster & adoptive families to accelerate child placement,” Lee said after the Tuesday bill signing in Chattanooga. “Great to meet with [Tennessee Department of Children’s Services] caseworkers & adoptive parents in Chattanooga who are giving TN children a loving, permanent home.”

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Woke Washington State School District Board Member Draws Fire for Cutting Music Program With Claim It Fosters ‘White Supremacy’ and ‘Institutional Violence’

Susan Berry, PhD

An Olympia School District board member in Washington state is the recipient of intense criticism for attempting to justify budget cuts by eliminating the district’s music classes with the claims the classes promote “white supremacy culture” and “significant institutional violence.”

According to Jason Rantz, host of The Jason Rantz Show on 770KTTH, with an expected district budget shortfall of $11.5 million, School Board Director Scott Clifthorne told parents the music program for fourth and fifth-grade students would be eliminated to make the budget cuts.

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Tennessee Legislature Alters Airport Funding, Nashville Airport Board

The Center Square

The Tennessee Legislature continued to change the way its airports are funded through legislation passed in the final days of session.

A bill to lower the state’s corporate aviation fuel tax cap to $1 million per company passed along with a bill to reconstitute the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority and several budget appropriations to individual airports and the state’s airports as a whole.

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Whistleblower: U.S. Government Is ‘Middleman’ in Massive Migrant Child Trafficking Ring

Admin

On Wednesday, a whistleblower is set to testify before Congress with bombshell claims that the federal government has essentially become a “middleman” in a child trafficking ring along the southern border, an operation that is allegedly worth billions.

According to Fox News, the hearing before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement will be titled “The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children.” The focus of the hearing will be the spike in the number of “unaccompanied children” (UACs) during the border crisis under Biden’s watch.

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Pope Francis Will Allow Women to Vote in Bishop Meeting for the First Time

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The Vatican announced Wednesday during a press conference that women would be allowed to vote during the upcoming Synod of Bishops in October, according to The Associated Press.

Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the synod, and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the relator general of the synod, announced that Pope Francis had approved the proposed changes by the council overseeing the synod, according to American Magazine. Under the new rules, both women and laymen will be allowed to vote for the first time in the history of the practice, and five religious sisters will be appointed as representatives for different orders, according to the AP.

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Schools Axe Homework, Deadlines in the Name of Equity: Report

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Several schools throughout the country are moving to axe homework and deadlines in an effort to increase equity, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Under the philosophy of “equitable grading,” students are given more chances to show they have mastered a subject, a practice that downplays the importance of homework and eschews deadlines in an attempt to give kids who struggle with hardships at home more opportunities to learn the material, according to the WSJ. Schools in California, Nevada and Connecticut are moving to implement “equitable grading,” though opponents of the system, many teachers and students say it disincentives students and leads to a lack of accountability.

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Before Biden Laptop Letter, Ex-CIA Boss Intervened on Russia Collusion in 2016, Benghazi in 2012

Just the News

Just a week after then-CIA Director John Brennan warned President Barack Obama that Hillary Clinton’s campaign was “stirring up” a Russia scandal to harm Donald Trump, the agency’s former acting chief became one of the first high-profile intelligence community figures to claim that the 2016 Republican nominee was a possible agent of Vladimir Putin.

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Tennessee Teacher Goes Viral After Saying Kids Aren’t Ready for Social Media

Peter D'Abrosca

A Tennessee teacher has gone viral on Facebook after a post saying that children are not ready for social media.

Jackie Tate, whose Facebook profile identifies her as a teacher at St. Patrick’s School, a Catholic school in McEwen, Tennessee, says the following:

Imagine something embarrassing happened to you at school when you were in the 7th grade. Everyone laughed and it was awful and you were mortified. Then a few weeks passed and everyone found new things to laugh about and they moved on. You didn’t forget how embarrassed you were, but you could move on too.

Now imagine you did something embarrassing in 7th grade. And everyone laughed and it was awful. But someone also caught it on Snap Chat. And turned it into a meme. And a Tik Tok. And everyone in school saw it. And took a screen shot of it. And spread it further. And you couldn’t get away from it. And no one forgot. And you couldn’t either. And people were still re sharing it months later.

Just sit there and imagine it for a minute.

Kids aren’t ready for social media. It starts with us parents. Please share.

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Reporter Silent on Reasons for Home Visits to Republican Lawmaker as Publisher Rushes to Defend, Overturn Restraining Order

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Capitol Times publisher Michael Gorman issued a statement on Monday defending the actions of the news outlet’s reporter Camryn Sanchez after receiving a restraining order barring her from coming near State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff). Rogers shared screenshots of Sanchez showing up at her homes uninvited both at night and during the day, and said her neighbors reported that Sanchez had contacted them. Sanchez has 10 days to appeal the injunction against harassment, which was issued on April 19.

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Pennsylvania Senators Introduce Open-Primary Bill

Bradley Vasoli

On Wednesday, two Pennsylvania state senators introduced a bill to open participation in the commonwealth’s primaries to nonpartisan voters.

At the Capitol Media Center in Harrisburg, prime sponsors Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) and Lisa Boscola (D-Bethlehem), said their bill would empower voters heretofore excluded from nomination decisions and would counteract hyper-partisanship. Both lawmakers are among the most moderate members of their chamber. 

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Gas Customers ‘Overcharged’ by $8 Million, Connecticut AG Says

The Center Square

Connecticut’s natural gas customers have been “overcharged” more than $8 million, according to Attorney General William Tong, who calls on utility regulators to order consumer rebates.

Tong said a review of the most recent earnings report by Connecticut Natural Gas, which serves about 184,000 customers, shows the company has been earning 177 basis points above its authorized return on equity of 9.3%. He said that based on the report, the company’s rates “appear well beyond what is necessary to cover their expenses.”

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DFL Wants to Strike Anti-Pedophile Language from Minnesota Statutes

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Minnesota Democrats want to remove language from the state’s Human Rights Act which clarifies that pedophilia is not included in the protected “sexual orientation” class.

“‘Sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult,” the Human Rights Act says. HF 1655, a bill carried by Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St.Paul, seeks to remove that language from state statutes.

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Disney Sues DeSantis over Florida GOP Governor’s Attempt to Limit Its Control of Theme Park

Just the News

Disney filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alleging he and other state Republican lawmakers having a “targeted campaign of government retaliation,” over the so-called 2020 “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

Disney World had self-governing privileges that DeSantis threatened to revoke after the company snubbed him last year when he signed a law in 2022 that his opponents labeled the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” 

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Michigan Strategic Fund OKs $615 Million for District Detroit

The Center Square

The state signed off on $615 million of taxpayer incentives in the transformational Brownfield Plan for District Detroit.

The Michigan Strategic Fund approved funds for the $1.5 billion development from the Related Companies and Olympia Development of Michigan, which aim to renovate the area near Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park, Ford Field, the Fox Theatre, Cass Park, and the Masonic Temple.

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TDEC Announces $232 Million in New Water Infrastructure Grants from American Rescue Plan Funds

Mac Roberts

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced on Wednesday a series of new grants for localities “in the form of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure grants.” The $232 million in grant funding will come from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), also known as COVID Stimulus Package. Tennessee was originally given nearly $4 billion from the ARPA to combat the effects of COVID-19.

Governor Lee touted the announcement as a boon for local water districts. “These grants will address important water infrastructure needs for local communities across Tennessee. We look forward to the improvements these projects will bring, and we commend the communities who have gone through the application process,” he said in a statement.

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State Senator Blasts Gov. Katie Hobbs After Resignation of ‘Extremist’ Appointee to State Judicial Commission

Neil Jones

Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern (R-Glendale) released a statement Wednesday, calling out the resignation of Catherine Sigmon from the Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments (MCCTCA) after finding troubling information about her.

“After reviewing the Constitutional requirements for the Commission on Trial Court Appointments, two big factors jump out at me,” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Kern. “First, the Commission is to be non-partisan. Second, the Commission’s primary task is to recommend qualified judge candidates to the Governor for appointment.”

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Free Speech Advocates Win Case for Political Expression in Pennsylvania Park

Bradley Vasoli

A federal court on Wednesday ruled that local authorities wrongly forbade political activists from gathering candidate-petition signatures at Fort Hunter Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Last June, the Keystone Party of Pennsylvania’s candidate for state House District 104 Dave Kocur worked alongside party board member Kevin Gaughen in asking park visitors to sign petitions to get Kocur on the ballot. Park security guards directed them to stop. After the activists refused, citing their constitutional right to free expression in a public forum, Dauphin County Parks Director Anthea Stebbins ordered them to desist, explaining that the county disallows any political activity at Fort Hunter. 

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Ohio House Panel Passes More than $86 Billion State Operating Budget

Hannah Poling

An Ohio House Panel has passed the state operating budget including a $1 billion tax cut, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a ban on TikTok from government devices.

On Tuesday, the plan to spend more than $86 billion over the subsequent two fiscal years contained in the 5,300-page proposal known as House Bill (HB) 33 passed the House Finance Committee with bipartisan support.

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Surveillance Footage Reveals Democrat State Representative Hiding Bibles from View at Arizona Capitol

Neil Jones

New surveillance footage at the Arizona State Capitol, first covered by AZ Family, shows State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-Flagstaff), an ordained minister, taking two Bibles placed around the House’s member-only lounge and hiding them out of view.

“It’s bizarre and juvenile for an elected public official, an ordained minister nonetheless, to act in this manner. Such actions are disrespectful to the Bible and people of faith, and to the institution of the House and its members,” said House Majority Caucus spokesman Andrew Wilder in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.

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Delaware County Judge Blocks Columbus Gun Restriction Enforcement

Hannah Poling

A Delaware County Judge has blocked the gun control legislation passed by the Columbus City Council on December 5th meaning the city cannot restrict firearm magazines or implement gun storage requirements.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Delaware County Common Pleas Judge David M. Gormley placed an injunction on the legislation. Ohio think tank, The Buckeye Institute, filed a lawsuit against the city of Columbus’ gun restrictions in February on behalf of six anonymous residents to protect the rights of Ohioans to keep and bear arms. The lawsuit named the city, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein as defendants.

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Red State Passes Bill Allowing Religious Institutions Access to State Funding

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The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday protecting religious institutions from being denied access to state funding.

The Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act was introduced by Republican state Sen. Shane Jett and Republican state Sen. Julie Daniels to further reinforce the First Amendment by preventing the state from denying faith-based groups access to taxpayer dollars, according to the bill. The legislature passed the act Tuesday by a 64 to 27 vote, officially sending the act to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk to be signed into law.

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