Day: May 30, 2023

Debt Limit Deal Clears House Panel, Setting Up Floor Debate

Just the News

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday evening advanced a bipartisan bill to raise the debt limit and avert a national default, paving the way for a floor debate in the lower chamber on Wednesday. The panel advanced the legislation by a 7 to 6 vote, with several Republicans objecting to its advancement. On Wednesday, lawmakers will debate the proposal on the floor. Conservative lawmakers such as Texas Rep. Chip Roy and South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman had sought to block its advancement, but enough Democrats and Republicans on the committee overruled them.

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Trump Vows to End Birthright Citizenship for Children of Illegal Immigrants

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Former president and 2024 presidential contender Donald Trump pledged to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants in a video posted to Twitter Tuesday.

Trump vowed that on his first day in office, if he’s elected president, he will sign an executive order that the children of illegal immigrants won’t be eligible for citizenship, according to his social media video. A wave of illegal immigration began at the U.S.-Mexico border soon after Biden assumed the presidency, where federal authorities have recorded more than 5.3 million migrant encounters since January 2021.

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Homeland Security Department Sees ‘Heightened Threat’ of Attacks on Churches, Police and Feds Ahead of 2024 Election

Just the News

The Homeland Security Department is warning communities nationwide about an increased risk of terror attacks on churches, schools, federal installations and law enforcement heading into the 2024 election, specifically cautioning that “legislative or judicial decisions pertaining to sociopolitical issues” could trigger violence in coming months.

In a bulletin issued just before Memorial Day, the agency cited a spate of violent acts this spring, including on a Christian school in Tennessee, a shopping mall in Texas and a plot on a church in Ohio by white supremacists as harbingers for future concern.

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FBI Formally Refuses to Produce Biden Probe Memo to Congress, Comer to Hold Wray in Contempt

Just the News

The FBI formally refused Tuesday to turn over to Congress an investigative memo alleging a bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, prompting the chairman of the House Oversight Committee to begin proceedings to hold Director Christopher Wray in contempt. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the panel’s chairman, said he still plans to meet with Wray on Wednesday but declared the bureau’s notification of refusing to comply with a subpoena to be unfortunate.

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Kohl’s Faces Backlash After Pitching LGBTQ ‘Pride’ Merchandise for Babies

Susan Berry, PhD

Kohl’s has now joined Target, The North Face, Anheuser-Busch, and others in marketing LGBTQ merchandise, with Kohl’s releasing its “Baby Sonoma Community Pride” onesie in sizes for babies aged three, six, and nine months.

The Twitter account for End Wokeness and TPUSA’s Benny Johnson shared Kohl’s online sales pitches for the baby clothing items that feature what appears to be gay parents and rainbow banners with the slogan, “Be Proud.”

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Nashville City Council to Hold Gun Violence Hearings in the Wake of Covenant School Massacre

M.D. Kittle

More than two months after 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale shot and killed three children and three staff members at the Covenant Presbyterian School, Nashville’s Metropolitan Council is planning to hold hearings on gun violence as a “public health issue.” 

The Public Health and Safety Committee will conduct the first special meeting on gun safety, co-hosted with Education Committee Chair Zulfat Suara, on June 14, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 pm.

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Norfolk Southern Opens New Family Assistance Center in East Palestine

Hannah Poling

 Norfolk Southern announced an additional initiative to support the community of East Palestine following the catastrophic train derailment that occurred earlier this year.

The railway giant signed a two-year lease agreement for a new, closer, and more permanent Family Assistance Center (FAC) that will replace the current center located at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church. The original FAC was set up within 24 hours of the incident on February 3rd.

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Graduates Required to Pass ‘Anti-Black Racism’ Course at University of Connecticut

Admin

The University of Connecticut (UConn) will officially make its “Anti-Black Racism” (ABR) course mandatory for all undergraduate students as part of the core curriculum’s new social justice requirement.

Provost Anne D’Alleva announced on May 17 that the requirement will go into effect during the 2024-2025 academic year with a course that will be similar to the one-credit ABR elective that has been offered since 2021.

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Bipartisan Measure Would Create a Pennsylvania Earned Income Tax Credit

Bradley Vasoli

Two Pennsylvania state Senators from opposite sides of the aisle are asking colleagues to support legislation they are drafting to create a state earned income tax credit (EITC). 

For nearly a half-century, lower-wage workers have benefitted from a federal EITC which ranges from $560 to $6,935 for a household earning up to $59,187, depending on the number of that filer’s qualifying children. In 2021, this program bestowed $1,874 on the average Pennsylvania family.

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Maricopa County Republican Committee Censored on Facebook for Sharing Post Regarding Liberal Bias on the Internet

Neil Jones

Facebook parent company Meta took down a post relating to research on the liberal bias on the internet shared by the Maricopa County Republican Committee on Friday.

According to the county, the post shared support for Dr. Robert Epstein’s research on Google’s liberal bias and linked to mygoogleresearch.com, a website featuring his works and requesting donations. The post also related to the American Institute of Behavioral Research and Technology (AIBRT), founded by Epstein. However, Facebook claimed the link violates community standards.

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Wisconsin Lawmakers Seek to Make Sexual Harassment in Schools a Felony

The Center Square

Democratic state Reps. Tod Ohnstad and Tip McGuire are pushing legislation that would make it a felony for school staff or volunteers to create an intimidating or hostile environment by sexually harassing students.

In addition to seeking to close a gap in the state’s criminal statutes that currently do not extend to all variations of sexual misconduct that some students have faced in schools, the bill would expand protections that now exist for public school students to all those who attend private schools.

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Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance: New Debt Limit Deal is Bad News

Hannah Poling

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) claims that the new debt limit deal between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) and President Joe Biden is “bad news.”

The deal, struck by Speaker McCarthy and President Biden on Saturday, which house leaders are formally referring to as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, aims to reduce domestic spending to levels seen in the fiscal year 2022 while capping growth in top-line federal spending at 1 percent over the ensuing six years.

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Audit Reveals Options for Modernizing Georgia Military College Governance

The Center Square

The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts has identified five “options” to modernize the governance and oversight of the Georgia Military College.

Two of the five options included in the audit, performed at the request of the Georgia House Appropriations Committee, would expand the state’s representation on the GMC board, with either some or all voting members appointed by state leaders. Currently, Milledgeville residents elect GMC Board of Trustee members.

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Florida and Iowa Among the Handful of States Enacting New, Sweeping School Choice Legislation

Admin

So far in 2023, six states signed school choice legislation into law, giving millions of families and their children education options, including access to taxpayer-funded vouchers.

Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Utah, South Carolina and Oklahoma all signed legislation into law that makes at least some, if not all students within the states, eligible for taxpayer funded vouchers or a tax credit that can be used on education expenses such as private school tuition, textbooks and transportation. Under the legislation enacted in 2023, millions of students across the country are now able to attend schools outside their designated zip code or apply to receive funding in order to seek a private or a homeschool education.

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Commentary: As It Always Has Been, the Only True Cause of the Left Is Power

Admin

Why do so many liberal climate-activist grandees fly on private jets? Or why do those who profited from Black Lives Matter have a propensity for estate living? Or why do the community-activist Obamas prefer to live in not one, but three mansions?

The answer is that calls for radical equity, “power for the people,” and mandated equality are usually mostly sloganeering for those who enjoy power and the lucre it brings, and their wish is to augment both for themselves. The result is that the issue du jour of mandated equality often becomes secondary if not irrelevant. There is neither fear of inconstancy nor hypocrisy, given the central theme that governs a leftist party line is political utility — or the ends of power always more than justify the hypocritical means used to obtain it.

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Republican Lawmakers Call for DEI Spending Report to Investigate Virginia Public Colleges

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Republican lawmakers in Virginia are requesting a spending report that focuses specifically on the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at state colleges and universities, Higher Ed Dive reports.

Two lawmakers in particular are paving the way for this new initiative: House Speaker Todd Gilbert and House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore. In a May 4 letter, Gilbert and Kilgore requested the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) “to study the growing cost of public higher education in the Commonwealth.”

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University of Michigan’s Botanical Garden Employs DEI Manager, Hosts ‘Confronting Racism’ Training

Admin

University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum is committed to diversity – but not simply the diversity of the plants and animals that call the facility home.

It also employs a DEI manager and actively works to combat racism within its 700 acres of gardens and natural preserves to make up for its “participation in systemic injustices.”

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Ohio State Board Passes Guidelines Affirming Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity

Admin

The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Board of Trustees voted in mid-May to adopt a new campus free speech policy and a resolution affirming the school’s commitment to preserving intellectual diversity. 

The free speech policy is an updated version of one that OSU passed last August and creates a system through which students can submit complaints of free speech infringements, a requirement set forth under Ohio’s S.B. 135.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Appoints Attorney Robert Patton to the 11th District Court of Appeals

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced the appointment of Republican attorney Robert J Patton to the 11th District Court of Appeals serving Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage, and Trumbull counties.

Judge-designee Patton of Willowick, Ohio will be taking the seat formerly held by Democratic Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice, who voters elected to the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. In order to retain the seat for the remainder of the term expiring in February 2027, Patton must win the general election in November 2024. Patton will assume office on June 5th.

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Authors of Soros-Funded Biden Center Report Pushing More Refugee Resettlement into the U.S. Now Work at the White House

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Several authors of a Soros-funded Penn Biden Center report advocating for increasing the number of refugees allowed into the country now work in the Biden administration, handling immigration and national security policy.

The Penn Biden Center and the National Conference on Citizenship published a 2020 report, which was funded by a $259,050 grant from Open Society Foundations, recommending increasing the number of refugees permitted to come to the U.S. and easing restrictions on refugee eligibility, actions the White House has since taken. The report was led by Ariana Berengaut, who now serves as senior adviser to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Eric Hysen, who was sworn in as chief information officer (CIO) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in February 2021; Rosanna Kim, who serves as senior adviser for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) since January 2021, also contributed to the report.

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As Space Runs Out, Iconic Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery Future Uncertain

The Center Square

by Sarah Roderick-Fitch   Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery, one of America’s most notable symbolic memorials to freedom, will soon run out of room. Despite two extensions in progress meant to expand capacity until 2060, the 639-acre cemetery’s eligibility requirements and geographical footprint must change to preserve space for future generations of American heroes, officials say. “It’s absolutely critical that we plan for the expansion of the Arlington National Cemetery,” said Mario Marquez, director of national security for the American Legion. “It serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by generations of service members and must continue to provide space for future generations to honor their loved ones in this revered place.” Since the first burial and designation as a national cemetery in 1864, the site has become synonymous with presidents, famous military and political leaders, and astronauts. It’s also the final resting place of more than 400,000 service members and their families. Marquez said the prospect of burial at the cemetery “carries profound significance” and “symbolizes the nation’s deep gratitude for their service and sacrifices.” Initially, the burial ground was established to ensure the families of service members killed in action – who could not afford to transport…

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Governor Katie Hobbs Vetoes Bipartisan ATV Bill that Would Have Paved the Way for More Electric Vehicle Use in Arizona

Neil Jones

Amongst the latest batch of vetoes handed out by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) Friday was Senate Bill (SB) 1100, from Senator Frank Carroll (R-Sun City), which aimed to update the legal definition of recreational off-highway vehicles (OHV).

Specifically, this bill would have updated the maximum unladen weight of an OHV from 2,500 pounds to 3,500. Under Arizona law, a person cannot operate an OHV unless it is under the weight limit and they receive a user indicia from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) via an application and fee. Additionally, OHVs are subject to a vehicle license tax, in this case, three dollars.

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Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Senator Lindsey Graham

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by Ailan Evans   Russia issued an arrest warrant for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina Monday, following comments he made about the war in Ukraine. The warrant was issued by Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday, with an additional announcement that a criminal investigation had been opened into Graham, according to Politico. It comes after Graham’s recent trip to Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and made remarks that allegedly caused outrage in Russia. Graham said that “the Russians are dying” and claimed that U.S. military aid to Ukraine was “the best money we’ve ever spent,” per an edited video of his remarks with Zelenskyy circulating on social media, according to Reuters. The edited video, which suggests that Graham was pleased with Russian soldiers dying, sparked criticism from Russian government officials as well as the criminal proceedings. To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy. I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 29, 2023 “I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor,” said Graham…

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