Day: May 3, 2023

Fed Raises Interest Rates by a Quarter Point to Fight Inflation

Just the News

The Federal Reserve Bank on Wednesday raised interest rates a quarter of a point again in an effort to cool inflation. “The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 5 to 5-1/4 percent,” the Fed said in an announcement about the rate hike. The rate was 4-3/4 to 5 percent.

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FBI Has Document Alleging Pay-to-Play Scheme Involving Joe Biden, Lawmakers Allege

Just the News

House and Senate GOP investigators said Wednesday they have learned the FBI possesses a document alleging a pay-to-play bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and have subpoenaed it in an explosive new twist in their long running corruption probe of the first family. Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member and long-time whistleblower advocate Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said they learned of the document, known asa  FD-1023, from a whistleblower.

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Covenant Killer Manifesto Coverup: Metro Nashville Police Department Refuses to Release Any Documents Due to Pending Public Records Litigation

M.D. Kittle

In a legal twist, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) now says it will not release the Covenant School killer’s manifesto and related documents because of pending litigation — lawsuits demanding the department turn over the records. 

“Covenant investigation update: Due to pending litigation filed this week, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has been advised by counsel to hold in abeyance the release of records related to the shooting at The Covenant School pending orders or direction of the court,” MNPD stated in a tweet Wednesday morning. 

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U.S. History and Civics National Test Scores Plunge to Lowest Levels on Record

Susan Berry, PhD

U.S. Education Department data released on Wednesday finds national eighth-grade test scores in U.S. History and civics dropped to their lowest level on record last year.

Compared to 2018, average test scores on the 2022 Nation’s Report Card (National Assessment of Educational Progress – NAEP) declined in both subjects. Additionally, scores dropped for lower- and middle-performing students in civics, and across five selected percentiles, except the 90th percentile, in U.S. history.

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Biden Admin Still Has Not Properly Vetted 88,000 Afghan Refugees, Two Years After Withdrawal

Admin

Despite nearly two years having passed since the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration still has not fully vetted the over 88,000 Afghan refugees who were brought into the country to escape the Taliban’s rule.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, four Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In the letter, the four congressmen explain how DHS “encountered obstacles to screen, vet, and inspect all evacuees” during the botched withdrawal that ultimately left 13 American servicemen dead, as well as scores of Afghan civilians. The letter was signed by House Homeland Security Committee chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), and was co-signed by Congressmen Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Clay Higgins (R-La.), and Austin Pfluger (R-Texas).

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The Biden Admin Just Made America’s Biggest Bank Even Bigger

Admin

Federal regulators sold recently failed regional lender First Republic Bank to JPMorgan Chase on Monday, enabling America’s largest bank to expand even more and spurring concerns about consolidation in the industry, economists told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

JPMorgan Chase agreed to take on all of First Republic’s $92 billion in deposits and is additionally purchasing the vast majority of the failed bank’s assets, including roughly $173 billion in loans and $30 billion in securities, according to a JPMorgan Chase press release. The giant had $3.7 trillion in assets and $2.4 trillion in deposits as of March 31.

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Biden Admin to Deploy Troops to Southern Border amid Expected Migrant Surge

Admin

The Pentagon is sending a contingent of troops to the southern border to reinforce Customs and Border Protection (CBP) missions ahead of an expected surge in migrant entrances later this month, a U.S. official confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Department of Homeland Security requested the Pentagon’s assistance as Title 42, a Trump-era authority implemented in the wake of COVID-19 is scheduled to sunset on May 11, opening the way for thousands of migrants who would formerly be subject to expulsion to seek entry into the U.S. A temporary addition of 1,500 military personnel will mostly perform administrative tasks and will not conduct any law enforcement work, leaving that to CBP, the U.S. officials told the DCNF.

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Heritage Author Asserts Goal of Leftist Lawmakers’ Demand for Ethnic Studies Curricula in Government Schools Is Erasure of American Culture

Susan Berry, PhD

A senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation says leftist lawmakers in Democrat-led states such as Minnesota and California are feeding into a culture of victimization and identity politics with their plans for mandatory K-12 ethnic studies curricula, the goal of which, he says, is actually to erase American culture.

In an op-ed at the Washington Examiner Tuesday, Mike Gonzalez wrote that what is most disturbing about the leftist call for mandatory K-12 ethnic studies curricula in government schools is that most of the lawmakers proposing these bills are actually “not in the least bit interested” in learning about the minutiae of the hundreds of ethnic cultures represented in the United States. Rather, “they care only about American culture — or, at least, how to erase it.”

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Governor Lee Proclaims the Month of May ‘Foster Care Month’ in Tennessee

Kaitlin Housler

Governor Bill Lee proclaimed May as “Foster Care Month” in Tennessee.

“This ‘Foster Care Month,’ we recognize the 5,000 Tennessee families who open their hearts and hands to children in need,” Lee said in a statement. “We have an obligation to ensure that every child has a loving, permanent home, and I thank Commissioner Quin and the General Assembly for partnering to deliver important support to children and families.”

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Tennessee Valley Authority Awards 37 Tennessee Schools with Grants Based on Energy Waste Cuts

Kaitlin Housler

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) awarded 64 schools across six states in the southeast region grants ranging from $10,00 to $410,000 through the energy company’s School Uplift program, with 37 of the recipient schools in Tennessee.

TVA’s School Uplift program “supports public schools in the region by offering energy efficiency training and grants that reduce energy costs and improve the quality of the learning environment.”

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Blasts President Biden for Sending Troops to the Southern Border to Help Move Illegals into Country

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee U.S. Representative and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green (R-TN-07) condemned the Biden administration for approving an increase of 1,500 military personnel to “supplement U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) efforts” on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Green accused the Biden administration of “using our troops to facilitate the demise of our homeland security, instead of securing our borders.”

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Mayor John Cooper Proposes a $3 Billion Budget for Fiscal Year 2024

Mac Roberts

In a Monday announcement, Metro Nashville Mayor John Cooper introduced his proposal for next year’s budget. Areas of emphasis in the plan include nearly $100 million in new operating spending for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), an increase in first responder pay, and and $50 million to increase Metro employees’ wages. 

Mayor Cooper touted the financial successes of his term in his State of the Metro Address, in which he argued that public investments must keep up with private sector growth in the city. He listed four metrics by which in his opinion a great city should be measured: police recruit classes, school funding per student, neighborhood infrastructure investments, and affordable housing units created. 

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Court Date Set in National Police Association’s Public Records Lawsuit Against Metro Nashville’s Refusal to Release Covenant School Killer’s Manifesto

M.D. Kittle

The National Police Association has filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County demanding the release of the Covenant School killer’s manifesto. 

And The Tennessee Star has just learned that Tennessee 20th Judicial District Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles has ordered a show cause hearing for May 11, examining whether the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has failed to comply with public records laws. 

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Special Session Postponed After Pushback to Lee’s ‘Red Flag’ Proposals

Mac Roberts

Governor Bill Lee said Saturday that the special session he called for on April 21 in the wake of the Covenant Presbyterian School shooting to push through a package of gun control measures dubbed “red flag laws” will likely convene after the July 4th holiday.

“There is broad agreement that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons,” he said in his original April statement.

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Arizona AG Kris Mayes Under Fire for Feuding with Her Client, State Water Department over Water Resources

Rachel Alexander

Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes may have broken ethics rules after she recently criticized her client, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) over concerns about their handing of the state’s water resources as drought conditions escalate. In a letter to ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke, she said the agency is not reviewing groundwater basins often enough to determine whether the agency should become more heavily regulated. Mayes also expressed concern that water transfers ADWR approves may have “grave consequences.”

But an attorney with substantial experience in government law said, “Mayes had no authority to make those moves and likely violated attorney ethics rules since she is the attorney for ADWR. It’s a violation of attorney-client privilege,” he told The Arizona Sun Times.

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Former Ohio Congressman Jim Renacci Advocates for Securing Primary Election System

Hannah Poling

A former Republican lawmaker is advocating for the state of Ohio to secure the primary election system and stop party raiding.

Currently, Ohio voters do not need to specify a party when registering. By requesting the ballot of the party primary they want at the time of voting, they can cast a ballot in either the Republican or Democratic primaries. Additionally, voters have the option of switching between parties during various elections throughout the year.

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DeSantis Signs Bill Allowing Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for Convicted Pedophiles

Just the News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is advancing his tough-on-crime message by signing a new package of crime bills, including one that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for some found guilty of pedophile-related crimes.

DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bills into law Monday, including one, which allows for the death penalty for those found guilty of “sexual battery against children under the age of 12,” the governor’s office said.

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Highly Rated Detroit Public Schools Teachers Struggle Teaching Students

The Center Square

Just 5% of Michigan students are rated “proficient” in a district with 99% of teachers rated “highly effective” or “effective.”

The classification of students for Detroit public schools comes from the latest national testing referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card.” The classification of their teachers is provided to the Michigan Department of Education by The Center for Educational Performance and Information.

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Youngkin Passes on 2024 Presidential Bid, Focuses on Virginia Elections

The Center Square

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ended months of speculation he will make a run for the White House in 2024.

Youngkin was asked by Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerard Baker at the Milken Institute’s “Governing America” discussion if he was planning on “dusting off” his fleece jacket to hit the campaign trail this year. Youngkin didn’t mince any words with a simple, “no.”

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Connecticut State Trooper Wins $260,500 Settlement in Lawsuit Against Police Union and Department Officials

Susan Berry, PhD

A Connecticut State Trooper won a settlement in his federal civil rights lawsuit against officials of the Connecticut State Police Union (CSPU) and Department of Emergency Services (DESPP), in which he charged them with illegally demoting him for his refusal to become a union member and to pay union dues to support CSPU’s political positions.

The trooper, Joseph Mercer, who was represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, settled the lawsuit for $260,500.

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Senators Tell Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Turn over All Correspondence with Hunter Biden

M.D. Kittle

Secretary of State Antony Blinken wasn’t straight with congress about his communications with President Joe Biden’s ne’er-do-well son Hunter, according to emails and a transcript of a 2022 interview first reported by The Star News Network. 

Now, U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), whose committees have long investigated allegations of Biden family corruption, are demanding the Secretary of State “produce and preserve” all records related to his correspondence with Hunter Biden.

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Bill Banning Injection Sites Passes Pennsylvania Senate, Awaits House Consideration

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s GOP-run state Senate this week passed legislation banning supervised injection sites, sending the bill to the state House. 

Such locations — also called “safe injection sites,” “safe consumption spaces” or “overdose prevention sites” — permit addicts to take illicit substances, mainly opioids, without fear of prosecution. Advocates of the injection centers say they are an important means of avoiding overdoses and drug-related disease transmission. The nonprofit Safehouse has been working to open such a location in Philadelphia. 

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Republican Legislator Announces Ethics Complaint Against Representative Caught Hiding Bibles at State Capitol

Neil Jones

Three Arizona State Representatives, Justin Heap (R-Mesa), David Marshall (R-Snowflake), and Lupe Diaz (R-Benson), announced Monday that the group filed an ethics complaint against Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-Flagstaff) after it was discovered she was removing Bibles on display at the State Capitol and hiding them from sight.

“Today I, @DaveMarshallAZ & @LupeDiaz4AZ filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton. We will not allow a single Member to decide for the whole Legislature & the millions of faithful Arizonans that their beliefs & values are no longer welcome in government,” Heap shared.

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Ohio Attorney General Announces State’s Expanded Access to Nation’s Most Detailed Gun Crime Database

Hannah Poling

On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that expanded access to one of the nation’s most effective resources for investigating and averting serious gun crimes is now available to law enforcement officials in Ohio.

The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) is a database that contains digitized photos of spent cartridge cases recovered from crime scenes or fired from firearms that law enforcement took into custody. The database essentially serves as a massive library of ballistic “fingerprints” because every gun leaves its own distinctive microscopic imprint on the cartridge cases it ejects.

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Political Action Committee Pushes for Vote on Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment

Hannah Poling

A newly formed political action committee (PAC) has been set up to push House Republicans to vote on the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments

Save Our Constitution PAC is urging lawmakers to set an August election for Ohio voters to decide on the proposed amendment. The measure, if approved, would mandate a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.

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U.S. to End COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements on May 11th

Admin

On Monday, the Biden White House announced that it will finally put an end to national COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal employees and federal contractors.

As reported by Fox News, May 11th is also the date that the Chinese coronavirus public health emergency will expire, and the Biden Administration has no plans to renew it. The mandate for federal employees and contractors, as well as international air travelers, is the last national vaccine mandate that remained in place after legal challenges brought down similar mandates for private businesses.

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GOP Takes on Biden Executive Election Takeover

Admin

Republicans in Congress are moving to rein in President Joe Biden’s executive order putting federal agencies in the business of getting out the vote. Their proposed legislation would defund any federally backed voter mobilization drives and prohibit the government from entering election-related agreements with private, nonprofit organizations to mobilize voters. 

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., who co-chairs the House Election Integrity Caucus, plans to introduce a bill Tuesday called the Promoting Free and Fair Elections Act. 

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Counseling Ban Promotes Gender Identity as Religion, Censors Science, Diverse Critics Tell SCOTUS

Just the News

First Amendment speech protections may be circumscribed for therapists and medical professionals in the American West, critics warn, unless the Supreme Court scrutinizes a Washington law prohibiting any “regime that seeks to change” a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Christian doctors, pro-life pregnancy centers, pediatricians, gender-critical feminists and a dozen states led by Idaho filed friend-of-the-court briefs last week urging the justices to review the so-called conversion law, warning it prevents providers from sharing research on the harms of hormonal and surgical procedures for gender-confused minors.

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