U.S. Officials Admit Losing ‘Operational Control’ of Border, Drug Cartels Poised to Seize it

With just two words, the top uniformed officer in the Customs and Border Protection agency sent shockwaves across official Washington two months ago when asked whether his agency has operational control of the southern U.S. border.

“No, sir,” Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told Congress in a shocking admission that exposed just how badly border security has deteriorated under President Joe Biden.

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Republicans to Hold Hearing on DOJ Targeting Pro-Lifers

Republican lawmakers will hold a hearing next week focusing on the Department of Justice’s targeting of pro-life activists like Mark Houck through the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, The Daily Signal has learned.

On Tuesday morning, the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government will revisit the “Implications of the FACE Act,” examining the shockingly high numbers of attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers around the nation as well as President Joe Biden’s administration’s use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

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CCP-Controlled, State-Owned Firm Behind Chinese Cash Allegedly Funneled to Hunter Biden, Documents Show

The Hong Kong corporation that allegedly wired funds to Hunter Biden’s business in 2017 was controlled by a Shanghai firm run by members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), some of whom had previously served in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to business documents and congressional reports reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

On June 30, 2017, Shanghai Huaxin Group (Hong Kong) Ltd. wired $10 million to the Delaware-based company CEFC Infrastructure, which then wired $100,000 to Hunter Biden’s “professional corporation,” Owasco P.C., on August 4, 2017, a House Oversight Committee memo revealed Wednesday, alleging the transfers were part of a scheme to conceal the Chinese origin of the funds.

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Lee Signs a Pair of Memphis FedExForum Tax Capture Extensions

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a pair of bills to continue tax captures in order to fund renovations at Memphis’ FedExForum and future marketing for Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

The bills come after the state Legislature approve $350 million from Lee’s budget proposal to send directly to Memphis to fund part of $684 million in sports facility improvements planned for the city that include renovations to the FedExForum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, along with renovations to Liberty Stadium, AutoZone Park and a new soccer stadium.

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Wisconsin University System to No Longer Require ‘Diversity Statements’ from Applicants

The University of Wisconsin (UW) System will no longer require new employees to submit statements outlining their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), CBS 58 Newsroom reported.

UW System President Jay Rothman announced the decision to end diversity statements to lawmakers on Thursday while delivering testimony in front of the state House of Representatives, according to CBS 58. Republican lawmakers, who have expressed interest in eliminating DEI programs, had threatened to cut campus state funding, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

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Commentary: Time Is the Best Mother’s Day Gift

What do you want for Mother’s Day? Perhaps you’ve asked your mother, spouse, or co-parent this question within the past couple of weeks. You might expect her to say flowers, shoes, a purse, or jewelry — tangible gifts you can order with a few clicks and have delivered to her doorstep in two business days. Yet, the gift that most mothers want is both free and expensive. It’s time, time to herself. The question is how can we give mothers more of their time?

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Georgia’s Certificate of Need Reform Conversation Only Heating Up

How to proceed with a possible repeal or amendment to Georgia’s certificate of need requirement will likely be a hot-button topic for the foreseeable future.

Leading up to this year’s session, Americans for Prosperity-Georgia launched a six-figure campaign to encourage lawmakers to rescind the CON requirement. Now, a Georgia Senate committee will explore whether the state should amend the CON mandate.

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Connecticut Lawmakers Seek Mail Balloting Referendum

Connecticut voters may get a chance to decide whether to adopt “no excuse” mail voting with a referendum inching towards the 2024 ballot.

A proposal approved by the state House of Representatives on Tuesday seeks to ease restrictions on the use of “no-excuse” absentee ballots, a move that would allow Connecticut residents to vote by mail in federal, state and local elections.

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Catholic University in Minnesota Doesn’t Tell Girls If They’re Assigned to Room with Biological Male

A new O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) video shows University of St. Thomas Associate Director of Residence Life Zoe Chang stating that the school allows biological males who identify as women to share living spaces with females.

This, according to Chang, is done as discreetly as possible in order to avoid upsetting parents. The video, OMG said in an email, documents the “mountain of rule changes and preferential treatment provided to trans students when it comes to their housing accommodations.”

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National Republican Congressional Committee Begins Campaign to Target Ohio U.S. House Democrats over Spending

The National Republican Congressional Committee has begun a digital advertising campaign to target House Democrats like U.S. House Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Greg Landsman (D-OH-01), and Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13) for their contribution towards reckless spending that is putting America on the brink of debt default.

This follows Reps. Kaptur, Landsman, and Sykes recently voting against the GOP debt ceiling bill which aims to address the debt ceiling and implement common sense spending reforms to limit wasteful spending, save taxpayer dollars, and grow the economy.

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American Greatness Poll: Trump Leads DeSantis in Iowa 44 Percent to 26 Percent

Former President Donald Trump dominates rival Governor Ron DeSantis by nearly 20 points in Iowa, according to a new National Research Inc. poll commissioned by the Center for American Greatness. The survey of 500 likely 2024 Republican Presidential Caucus voters found that 44 percent of respondents favored Trump compared to 26 percent who backed DeSantis. Twelve percent of likely voters said they were undecided, and the remaining voters were split between the six other candidates.

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Commentary: Faith and Flags

I was surprised by the Williamson County School Board’s recent call for action to Governor Lee, especially in how it seems to differ with a resolution that the Williamson County Republican Party released weeks earlier. What is most apparent in the Covenant School tragedy is that another deranged assassin targeted what is essentially a gun free zone. We will never know what might have happened if willing teachers or administrators received proper training and were allowed to carry firearms to protect the children entrusted to their care. Clearly, the bias against the 2nd Amendment has cost us an incalculable price once again.

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In Advance of Possible Trial, Kari Lake’s Attorney Tells Judge During Hearing That Election Was ‘Rigged’ with ‘Clear Misconduct and Intent’

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson heard oral arguments Friday in Kari Lake’s election contest.

Thompson is considering a Motions to Dismiss filed by the defendants and a 263-page Motion for Relief from Judgment filed by Lake’s attorneys urging the court to bring back her second count regarding “illegal BOD printer/tabulator configurations,” which Thompson had previously dismissed.

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DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Use of Central Bank Currencies

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law on Friday that bans the use of a central bank digital currency in the state of Florida and further bans the use of CBDCs issued from foreign government reserves and central banks, including China’s digital Yuan.

“I’m just glad we are thinking ahead here in the state of Florida because once this genie is out of the bottle, I think it will be very hard to put back in,” DeSantis said, adding that cash is king, and allows a person to control their own lives.

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Michigan Teachers’ Effectiveness Ratings Flourish While Student Performance Stumbles

In Michigan, local school district evaluations stated that there were only 165 teachers out of the 115,910 evaluated in 2021-22 that were found to be “inefficient.”

Statistically, that translated to 0%. In fact, 99% of all Michigan public school teachers last year were rated either as “highly efficient” or “efficient,” the highest two of four evaluation categories.

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Two New Members Sworn In to Vacant Ohio House Seats

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) swore in two new members to the Ohio House to fill the vacant seats left due to the passing of State Representative Kris Jordan (R-Ostrander) and the resignation of State Representative Brian Baldridge (R- Winchester) to take a job as state agriculture director.

After the untimely passing of Jordan, Delaware County Republican Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) has been chosen to fill the remaining term for the 60th House District seat.

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Housing Costs Keep Phoenix Inflation Near Nation’s Highest

April inflation rates show the Phoenix metropolitan area remains among the highest in the nation, with the increased cost of housing fueling the expensive cost of living.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released national inflation data for April on Wednesday, showing the Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% last month. The numbers are seasonally adjusted. The increase is an acceleration from March, which saw only 0.1% in higher CPI among metros.

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Republican Governors Ask Biden Administration to Rescind Title IX Guidance

Twenty-five of the nation’s 26 Republican governors have asked the Biden administration to shelve its intent to expand Title IX protections to transgender athletes.

The letter, led by the signature of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, says the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulation should be withdrawn pending litigation that could be addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Commentary: Transgenderism and the Contemporary Church

Transgender boy

“The church’s response to those who identify as transgender,” Andrew T. Walker writes, “must be, immediately and with integrity, ‘You are welcome here. You are loved here.’”

This position reflects the broad inclinations of contemporary evangelicals, who generally seek to intentionally love and welcome those in the transgender movement. Though scripturally grounded churches may disagree with much of transgender ideology, they still strive to love those within the movement.

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Migrant Child from Honduras Dies in HHS Custody

A migrant child died suddenly while in the care of the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS), the agency said in a statement Friday.

The Honduran government identified the child as 17-year-old Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza of Honduras, saying he died in a Florida shelter. Between October 2022 and March, Border Patrol agents stationed along the southern border recorded more than 67,000 encounters of unaccompanied migrant children, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

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Commentary: Confronting China’s War on Religion Part Four

On Thanksgiving Day, 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, a Hong Kong priest, was convicted, along with five others, of failing to register a defunct charitable organization that tried to help pro-democracy demonstrators targeted by the regime.

Ostensibly, the charges stemmed from the group’s failure to submit paperwork to authorities. But Chinese people of faith and governments around the world understood the real message Beijing was sending when it arrested Fr. Zen, known as “the conscience of Hong Kong,” last May. The purpose of the prosecution, said U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price, was to show that China’s government “will pursue all means necessary to stifle dissent and undercut protective rights and freedoms.”

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Music Spotlight: Jay Allen

When rising artist Jay Allen debuted the song “No Prayer Like Mama’s,” I knew this was the artist I wanted to feature for Mother’s Day Weekend. To be honest, the lyrics just wreck me, and I suppose that is what a good country song does.

Allen grew up in a little Midwest town in Iowa where his dad owned a restaurant called Joe’s Country Grill. That’s where his dad met his mother when she was a waitress. Because they both worked at the restaurant, Allen spent much of his younger years there.

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