Day: May 10, 2023

The Star News Network Sues the FBI Over Agency’s Refusal to Release Covenant Killer Manifesto

M.D. Kittle

The Star News Network is suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation alleging the law enforcement agency has broken a critical First Amendment guard in repeatedly denying Freedom of Information Act requests seeking the Covenant School killer’s manifesto.

Filed Wednesday, the federal lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee to order the FBI to release Audrey Elizabeth Hale’s manifesto and related documents and to issue a declaration that the agency violated FOIA in denying the request for the information.

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Top Republicans Excoriate FBI for Noncompliance with Subpoena for Alleged Biden Bribery Doc

Just the News

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley on Wednesday fumed as the FBI failed to meet a subpoena deadline to provide congressional investigators with a form that allegedly details a bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national. The Republicans revealed in early May that the FBI had an FD-1023 in its possession detailing the allegations and confirmed they had issued a subpoena to obtain the document. Comer and Grassley learned of the form’s existence from a whistleblower. The form allegedly includes a “precise description” of the scheme and its purpose.

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Maine Governor’s Expert Witness for Bill to Legalize Abortion Until Birth Authorized Abortion on New Mexico Woman Who Died from Complications of Procedure

Susan Berry, PhD

The OB/GYN tapped by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) to champion her bill that would allow abortions up until birth has been found to have authorized the 24-week abortion of a woman who later died in Albuquerque from complications due to the procedure.

Dr. Shannon Carr was named in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against her employer, Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO), the Maine Wire reported Friday.

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House Probe Unveils Fresh Evidence Contradicting Joe Biden Claims About Family’s Foreign Deals

Just the News

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday directly challenged President Joe Biden’s claims about his family’s overseas business deals, providing fresh evidence his son Hunter got money directly from China, was involved in a business deal with a Romanian figure accused of corruption and helped arrange for one of his foreign business associates to meet with his father’s vice presidential office.

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Americans’ Trust in Economic Authorities Plummets, Poll Finds

Admin

Americans lack faith in their country’s main economic authorities, according to a Gallup poll published Tuesday.

The poll asked participants to state their confidence level that officials will “do or recommend the right thing for the economy.” It found that 34% to 38% of American adults have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in President Joe Biden, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and congressional leaders.

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Pentagon to Buy $1.2 Billion in Weapons from Defense Contractors for Ukraine Aid

Admin

The Pentagon announced plans Tuesday to buy $1.2 billion in weapons as part of an ongoing program to build up Ukraine’s military over the long term while it continues to provide for immediate battlefield needs.

The weapons, drawn from an authority called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) allows the Department of Defense (DOD) to buy weapons and military equipment directly from defense companies and partners rather than drawing from existing U.S. stocks, according to a press release. Tuesday’s package includes air defense systems, ammunition and “support to enable Ukraine to better maintain its on-hand systems and equipment.”

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New Mechatronics Lab Focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Robots Opens at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Kaitlin Housler

A new mechatronics lab at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) opened to prepare its College of Engineering and computer science students for post-graduation careers.

UTC describes mechatronics as the “combination of mechanical engineering with electronics, electrical circuits, control mechanisms and software engineering.”

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U.S. Braces for Impact of Mass Illegal Immigration as Title 42 Ends

Just the News

As the COVID-19 public health emergency is set to expire on Thursday — and, along with it, emergency authority under Title 42 to speedily expel asylum-seekers as potential public health risks — the U.S. is preparing for an influx of illegal immigrants to cross the southern border.

Title 42 is a public health authority that was invoked in March 2020 under the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic to bar entry to asylum-seekers in an effort to prevent the spread of the communicable disease.

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Catholic Civil Rights Leader: Washington Post Fails to Mention Its Recent Poll Revealed 78 Percent of Transgender Adults Had Serious Mental Health Problems Growing Up

Susan Berry, PhD

Catholic League President Bill Donohue observed Monday that The Washington Post neglected to mention in its news story about its own poll on transgenderism that trans individuals reported a more significant percentage of mental health concerns than all adults surveyed.

Bill Donohue noted that The Post’s “2517-word story, published May 5, covers just about every aspect of the 26-page survey except for the issue of mental health.”

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NIH Renews Grant to Organization That Funded Coronavirus Experiments in Wuhan

Just the News

The National Institutes of Health have renewed a grant to EcoHealth Alliance, an organization that funded experiments in Wuhan at a facility identified as the possible origin point of the COVID-19 pandemic.

EcoHealth announced the renewal on Monday, noting that the grant had been suspended in April of 2020 “due to concerns about continuing collaborative laboratory research with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” EcoHealth’s experiments involved on-site work at the WIV and involved the study of coronaviruses.

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Ramaswamy Says Carroll Case Verdict Against Trump Another Attempt to Attack Establishment’s ‘Chief Political Virus’

M.D. Kittle

Former President Donald Trump’s political rivals weighed in Tuesday on a Manhattan jury’s finding that Trump is liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil lawsuit brought decades after the alleged abuse took place. 

Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who declared his campaign for president in February, agreed with critics of the lawsuit who believe it’s another politically charged attempt to diminish the GOP presidential frontrunner ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

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Metro Mayoral Candidates Answer Questions from Citizens in Forum

Mac Roberts

Ten candidates for Metro Nashville Mayor answered questions by fellow Nashvillians Tuesday night at a televised forum hosted by WKRN. 

Natisha Brooks, Heidi Campbell, Jim Gingrich, Sharon Hurt, Stephanie Johnson, Freddie O’Connell, Alice Rolli, Vivian Wilhoite, Matt Wiltshire, and Jeff Yarbro fielded questions during the two-hour event from citizen representatives, selected by the station, from the north, south, east west, and downtown Nashville.

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DeSantis Signs Legislation Cracking Down on Teachers Unions

Admin

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Tuesday that bans automatic payroll deductions for teachers union dues.

Under the “Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees” law, public-employee unions are no longer allowed to automatically deduct dues from paychecks and must annually notify members of union costs. The bill, signed into law by DeSantis Tuesday, passed the state Senate in March, 23-17, and the state House in a 72-44 vote.

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Ahead of Expected Illegal Immigrant Surge, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst Urges Bill Allowing States to Finish Border Wall

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) blasted the Biden administration for its ongoing failure in addressing the southwest border crisis, which is about to get a whole lot worse when Title 42 ends later this week.

The Iowa Republican said it’s time to move on her Build It Act, legislation allowing states to finish the border wall by using previously purchased materials.

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Arizona Border City Prepares for the End of Title 42 as Immigrants at Federal Stations Relocate

Neil Jones
Illegal migrants at a border fence

The City of Bisbee released a statement Monday outlining what it is currently doing to prepare for the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday, which is expected to cause a mass influx of immigrants seeking to enter the country across the southern border.

“The Mayor [Ken Budge] and City Staff met with Cochise County Emergency Management staff and the leadership of the [Customs and Border Patrol] CBP Brian Terry Station today,” the city shared. “We were briefed on the resources that are expected to be available to handle immigrants moving forward from local, state and federal agencies. The emphasis is on moving these now-legal immigrants from the border to their final locations or sheltering them in places that can handle a large flow of immigrants.”

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Virginia Gov. Youngkin: We Have This Moment Where Every State Is a Border State

The Center Square

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in an exclusive interview with The Center Square, had strong words for the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis at the southern border and the lifting of Title 42.

Youngkin signed an executive order Tuesday while delivering remarks at Stafford High School in Stafford County, marking National Fentanyl Awareness Day. During his speech, the governor blamed the Biden administration for failing to take action against the flow of the deadly drug across the border.

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Commentary: If Hunter Biden Is Indicted

RealClearWire
Hunter Biden courtroom

What will President Biden do if his son is indicted by the federal prosecutor in Delaware? That’s one of three questions looming over U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ fateful choice. The second is whether the indictment will go after a larger, coordinated family scheme of influence peddling or confine itself to smaller, tightly-confined issues like lying to get a gun permit and not registering as a foreign lobbyist. The third is whether Attorney General Merrick Garland will approve Weiss’ proposed charges. Significant political calculations follow from those decisions.

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Democratic-Backed Group Releases Advertisement Praising Speaker Stephens for Lack of Vote on Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment

Hannah Poling

A Democratic-backed group that opposes the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment released an advertisement praising House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) for the lack of a House floor vote on the resolution.

The group One Person One Vote praises Stephens in its advertisement for the lack of a House floor vote on the resolution and the August special election for voters to decide on it.

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Georgia Gov. Kemp Bashes Washington Spending but Touts Federally Funded Grants

The Center Square

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp regularly blames Washington policies for causing inflation and hurting Georgians, but he doesn’t hesitate to announce grants — such as those for rural broadband projects — that rely on federal tax dollars.

“While failed policies coming out of Washington, D.C. are pushing us closer to a recession and forcing hardworking Georgians to endure sky-high inflation, we on the state level are doing what we can to return money back where it belongs – in taxpayers’ hands,” Kemp said in a statement earlier this month in announcing officials had issued the first round of “surplus tax refund checks” to Georgia taxpayers.

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Michigan Bill Seeks to Ban Life Without Parole for Those Under 19

The Center Square

Some Michigan lawmakers want to end life sentences without parole for those under the age of 19.

Michigan has more juveniles sentenced to life parole than any other state, said Rep. Amos O’Neal, D-Holt, said in the Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday morning. Holt said that 26 states ban life-without-parole for juveniles. The recidivism rate for kids leaving the system is less than 1%, O’Neal said.

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Report: Connecticut Losing Money on Film Tax Credits

The Center Square

Connecticut’s film tax credit, which has doled out more than $1.5 billion to Hollywood movie studios since 2007, lost millions last year, according to a new report.

The report by the state Department of Economic and Community Development shows that Connecticut’s Film and Digital Media Production Tax Credit broke even last year, while the fiscal impact of the tax breaks amounted to a net loss of $11.5 million. 

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U.S. Senator JD Vance’s Rail Safety Legislation Gains Significant Momentum with Trump Endorsement

Hannah Poling

U.S. Senator JD Vance’s (R-OH) bipartisan rail safety legislation gained significant momentum with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

The Railway Safety Act sponsored by Vance and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would require that trains carrying hazardous materials be scanned by wayside defect detectors, or “hotbox detectors,” every 10 miles to prevent future derailments caused by faulty wheel bearings. It stipulates that railroad companies must provide advance notification to state emergency response commissions when transporting hazardous materials. It requires railroads to operate with at least two-person crews. It also increases the maximum fine for rail safety violations.

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Committee Passes Accelerated Pennsylvania Corporate Tax Cut in Bipartisan Vote

Bradley Vasoli

In a bipartisan 8-3 vote on Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s Senate Finance Committee passed legislation to speed the state’s reduction of its corporate net income tax (CNIT). 

Last year, as part of the Keystone State’s budget, lawmakers initiated a reduction of the CNIT from 9.99 percent to 4.99 percent over the next decade. Before the change, Pennsylvania had the second-highest state corporate tax in the U.S. behind New Jersey’s 11.5-percent rate. 

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18 State Attorney Generals Sign on to Brief in Support of Overturning Preliminary Injunction on Ohio’s Heartbeat Act

Hannah Poling

Eighteen state attorney generals have signed onto a brief filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost trying to overturn a lower court’s preliminary injunction on the state’s Heartbeat Act which blocks the majority of abortions once a fetal heartbeat is found.

Yost filed the 20-page brief on Monday at the Ohio Supreme Court saying that the high court should dismiss the preliminary injunction on enforcing the state’s Heartbeat Act because the plaintiffs are clinics and not patients.

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Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Warns Parents to Remain Aware of Fentanyl Use as Cases Continue to Rise

Neil Jones

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell (R) released a statement Monday pleading that parents remain vigilant for fentanyl use.

“I’ve spoken one-on-one with parents who have lost their kids to this poison. It is gut-wrenching to hear them talk about having a conversation with a child one evening, only to find that child gone the next morning,” said Mitchell. “We will keep prosecuting these cases and continue to get this information in front of parents and the public.”

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News Reports Debunked That Former Cochise County Elections Official Received Death Threat

Rachel Alexander
Lisa Marra

The media is hyping up complaints by election officials that they are receiving threats for refusing to address complaints about voter disenfranchisement. Arizona Public Media reported in March that controversial former Cochise County Elections Director Lisa Marra received a death threat several weeks before the 2022 election, but an investigation by the Arizona Daily Independent found that Arizona Media incorrectly assumed it was Marra.

The news went national, as Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) used Marra as a source for discussing those types of threats. Arizona Media quoted Marra telling him, “I believe that we should have some defined laws, we should have some penalties, we should have some things with teeth. It concerns me that the longer that we go on, the angrier people are getting, and at some point, there’s a tipping point.”

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Pennsylvania State Representatives Call for Federal Rail Safety Legislation

Bradley Vasoli

Three Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers are preparing to introduce a resolution calling on Congress to pass a new rail-safety statute in light of February’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. 

State Representative Jim Marshall (R-Beaver Falls) told The Pennsylvania Daily Star he is co-sponsoring the resolution to encourage an “all-in approach” to reduce the likelihood of freight-train accidents. State Representatives Natalie Mihalek (R-Pittsburgh) and Ryan Warner (R-Connellsville) spearhead the measure. 

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Pharma Giant Behind Botox, Breast Implants Bankrolled Doctors Pushing Trans Cosmetic Procedures

Admin

Allergan Aesthetics, a pharmaceutical company that produces Botox injections and breast implants, funded doctors who promote cosmetic procedures as particularly beneficial and even medically necessary for transgender people.

Allergan has been quietly funding research that promotes neurotoxin injections and injectable facial fillers, which the company produces under the labels Botox and Juvederm, for transgender people. The company has also paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting and public speaking fees to doctors who are involved in this research, or who offer transgender cosmetic procedures that may involve Allergan products, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation.

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Indiana Expands School Choice to Nearly All K-12 Students as Republican-Led States Continue Momentum

Susan Berry, PhD

Indiana scored the latest school choice victory with nearly all, save for 3.5 percent of families with school-age children, qualifying for the state’s new voucher program, The Wall Street Journal editorial board noted last week.

“The hits keep coming on school choice in Republican-run states,” The Journal editors observed, detailing:

The new law raises the income cap to 400% of the free- and reduced-price lunch income level, which is now about $220,000 for a family of four. The bill also removes the other criteria for eligibility so that any family under the income limit can apply. Tens of thousands of additional students could qualify, and a legislative analysis projects that some 95,000 students might use the program in 2025, up from about 53,000 in 2023.

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Commentary: January 6 Supporters Set Their Focus on Trump

Admin

In 2002, David Frum, chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, coined the phrase “axis of evil” to describe the despotic regimes of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq during the nascent stages of the global war on terror.

Today, Frum is warning the country about a different axis of evil that he believes similarly threatens the security of America and perhaps even the world: Donald Trump, the Oath Keepers, and the Proud Boys.

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