Day: June 30, 2023

IRS Whistleblower Attorneys Hit Back at Hunter Biden Attorney over Leaking Accusations

Just the News

IRS Whistleblower Gary Shapley’s legal team hit back on Friday against accusations from Hunter Biden’s attorney suggesting he had claimed to be a whistleblower to escape punishment over his own alleged misconduct. Biden attorney Abbe Lowell on Friday wrote to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, suggesting Shapley and a second unnamed IRS agent of blowing the whistle “in an attempt to evade their own misconduct,” Axios reported. The “timing of the agents’ leaks and your subsequent decision to release their statements do not seem innocent.”

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Clint Brewer Taps Kentucky U.S. Rep James Comer as This Week’s Big ‘Winner’ over Uncovering Biden Text Revelations

Tennessee Star Staff

All star panelist and recovering journalist Clint Brewer joined The Tennessee Star Report’s Michael Patrick Leahy in studio Thursday to discuss the Winners and Losers of this news-packed week. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: It’s that time of week again. It’s time for Clint Brewer’s ‘Winners and Losers of the Week. Well, what you got there, Clint? Clint Brewer:  Well, I’d say winners nationally Congressman James Comer. Yeah. Big revelations in his probe of the Hunter Biden, President Biden situation. The incredible text message, oh my goodness, that was covered to Xi whoever “Xi” is in Chinese business circles. Michael Patrick Leahy: ‘I’m sitting here with my dad, where’s the money, buddy?’ Clint Brewer: I mean, it was stark. Michael Patrick Leahy: And it’s, it was confirmed by his attorneys. Clint Brewer: I think there was other reporting in more mainstream sources. I think it was the New York Times – that they actually had confirmed previously through other reporting that they, the president and his son were in the same place at the same time on that day. So the plot thickens. But Comer’s been much-maligned in the press for this probe, and I think it’s starting to turn up…

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Biden Education Secretary Claims Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling ‘Takes Our Country Decades Backward’

Susan Berry, PhD

Secretary of the U.S. Education Department Miguel Cardona reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the use of race in weighing college admissions with the claim the ruling “takes our country decades backward” because such discrimination based on the color of skin has served as “a vital tool that colleges have used to create vibrant, diverse campus communities.”

Cardona said in a press statement the Court’s 6-3 ruling Thursday in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College is “yet another blow to the fight for equal opportunity.”

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Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden’s Multibillion Dollar Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

Just the News

In a landmark ruling with implications for the 2024 election, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday that the Biden administration does not have the authority to unilaterally cancel hundreds of billions in student loan debt. The ruling was a major rebuke of President Joe Biden’s political efforts to court young voters with large college debts, and sets a fresh battle ahead of the next presidential election. It also was the latest of several major court rulings that chided the administration for trying to impose regulatory powers that Congress did not give the executive branch.

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AG Skrmetti Files Lawsuit Against Massive Chemical Companies for Negative Health Effects on Tennesseans

Peter D'Abrosca

Tennessee’s attorney general Thursday announced a lawsuit against several of the largest chemical manufacturers in the country for the health damage he says they caused to Tennesseeans.

Companies including 3M, DuPont, and Chemours create products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. One of those products, according to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R), is called Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF).

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Former Mississippi Governor Points to Success of Legislation Leading State’s Fourth-Graders to Become Top Reading and Math Achievers

Susan Berry, PhD

Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) is celebrating the “comeback story” of his state’s fourth graders, who ranked on 2022 national test scores as the nation’s top performers in reading, and second in math, following the enactment of literacy legislation he spearheaded that saved the state from its “dead-last ranking in the United States.”

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Ohio House Speaker Is Now Confident in Lawmakers Meeting State Budget Deadline

Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) says that he is now confident in lawmakers passing the state’s biennial budget before its June 30th deadline.

This follows his previous statement that with the approximately 800 differences between the biennial budgets passed by the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, it is likely that the state legislature may miss its end-of-the-month deadline and need to pass a temporary budget until they can strike a final deal.

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Ex-Ohio House Speaker Sentenced to 20 Years for Racketeering

The Center Square

A federal judge sentenced former Ohio Republican Speaker of the House Larry Householder today to the maximum 20 years in federal prison Thursday for his involvement in the largest bribery scandal in state history.

Prosecutors asked federal judge Timothy Black to sentence him to 16-20 years. The 64-year-old Householder asked for less than two years. Householder was remanded to the custody of U.S. marshals following Thursday’s hearing.

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Georgia Lawmakers Begin Studying State Trooper Recruitment, Retention

The Center Square

A Georgia House working group is exploring how the state can attract and retain state troopers, and it could lead to additional state funding for increased compensation.

“Ultimately, your work should allow us to increase the number of state patrol troopers keeping our highways and our communities safe,” State House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, said during a Tuesday House Working Group on Public Safety meeting. “…This is not a simple issue; it’s multifaceted. It’s going to take some really good thought and some inspection and contemplation to come up with solutions and bring back to us.”

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Michigan Woman Leads Effort to Recall Officials Who Approved EV Battery Factory with China Ties

Just the News

A Michigan woman is leading an effort to try to oust elected officials in her township for allowing the maker of electric vehicle batteries with ties to China to open a plant in her township.

The headquarters for battery maker Gotion Inc. is in California, but its parent company, Gotion High-tech, is based in China, which is raising concern about its connections to the Chinese Communist Party and national security.

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Connecticut U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro Draws Fire for Claiming Church Teachings Allow Catholics to Embrace Abortion

Susan Berry, PhD

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has fueled the ire of many Catholics for asserting the teachings of the Catholic faith justify her claim that Catholics may support and promote ending the lives of unborn babies.

“I am a Catholic—baptized, raised, and confirmed,” DeLauro tweeted. “The fundamental tenets of my faith compel me to defend a women’s right to access abortion. I am proudly part of the faithful large majority of US Catholics who support legal protections for abortion access.”

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Scottsdale City Council Votes to House Phoenix Homeless and Illegal Immigrants in Hotel Rooms

Rachel Alexander

The Scottsdale City Council voted Tuesday night to accept a $940,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Housing to house homeless people from Phoenix’s “The Zone” encampment and illegal immigrants in a Scottsdale hotel. Five of the council members and Mayor David Ortega voted yes, with Scottsdale City Councilman Barry Graham the sole no vote on Resolution No. 12888, the Homeless Shelter and Service Funding Agreement.. 

Graham tweeted his disappointment in the vote. “Last night, council voted to accept nearly $1 million from AZ Department of Housing on condition to house homeless from Phoenix and border migrants—not Scottsdale homeless,” he said. “The city will rent hotel rooms in McCormick Ranch-area. I voted ‘no’ based on responses to my questions about vetting participants and community safety. Scottsdale residents are compassionate—however there are better ways to demonstrate compassion.”

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Minnesota Lutheran Church Recites ‘Sparkle Creed,’ Professes Belief in ‘Non-Binary God’

Admin

A Lutheran church in Edina stood for the reading of the “sparkle creed” during a church service, according to a livestream available on its YouTube page.

“I believe in a non-binary god, whose pronouns are plural,” Pastor Anna Helgen said during Sunday’s service. “I believe in Jesus Christ, their child, who wore a fabulous tunic and had two dads.”

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Atlanta Police Arrest Person Accused of Throwing Spoiled Meat at Officers During Protest

Kaitlin Housler

One individual was arrested for throwing spoiled meat at Atlanta police officers during a protest against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Wednesday, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) announced in a press release.

The Atlanta City Council approved the training center in September 2021, and it has been a source of controversy ever since.

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New Hampshire Democrats ‘No Comment’ on SCOTUS Racial Preferences Ruling

Admin

Across the country, Democrats reacted swiftly — and angrily– to Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s race-based admissions systems. Justices found they violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Writing for the six-member majority, Chief Justice John Roberts noted race was the determinative factor for a “significant percentage” of Black and Hispanic applicants accepted by Harvard, with a similar admissions process used at UNC. Under its affirmative-action system, well-qualified Black applicants were 4 to 10 times as likely to be admitted to Harvard than similarly qualified Asian Americans, Roberts noted.

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Arizona Gov. Hobbs’ Transgender Healthcare Coverage Sparks Controversy

The Center Square

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed two executive orders on June 27, giving additional protections to the state’s LGBTQ residents.

The first order, Executive Order 2023-12, establishes that any “medically necessary” gender reassignment surgeries for state employees will be paid for through their health care coverage. The second, Executive Order 2023-13, bars any state agencies from funding, promoting or supporting conversion therapy for minors.

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Reneges on Hosting Republican Event After ‘Doing Research’ on Group

Admin

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University rescinded its agreement to host a College Republicans United convention “after doing research” on the group.

Richard Thomas, founder of the group, told The College Fix that the event was to be located at the university’s “Lower Hangar” at its Prescott, Arizona campus for three hours and cost a total of $630.00 for media, support and cleanup.

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Ohio State Lawmakers Pass Resolution Urging Relocation of U.S. Space Command Headquarters to Ohio

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House of Representatives passed a Republican-backed Concurrent Resolution to urge the Federal Government to officially name Wright Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton, Ohio as the permanent location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters.

The Ohio House Passed House Concurrent Resolution 8 by a 90-2 vote advancing the resolution to the Ohio Senate for their review.

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City of Columbus Continues Fight to Overturn Preliminary Injunction Halting Gun Control Laws

Hannah Poling

The City of Columbus is trying to implement its gun control laws while a lawsuit filed by The Buckeye Institute to protect the rights of Ohioans to keep and bear arms is being heard.

The city requests that the 10th District Court of Appeals overturns a ruling by a Delaware County judge to temporarily halt a state law that would make it difficult for municipalities to establish specific gun control measures.

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Second Week of Disbarment Trial of Trump Attorney John Eastman Resumes

Rachel Alexander

The second week of the State Bar of California’s (SBC) disbarment trial against Trump attorney John Eastman resumed on Thursday, after a brief break due to one of the attorneys becoming sick. Throughout much of the day, SBC attorney Duncan Carling grilled Eastman about his allegations of illegal activity occurring in the 2020 election.

Carling repeated many of Eastman’s claims from the pleadings he filed in cases like Trump v. Raffensperger, prompting First Amendment attorney Mark Fitzgibbons to tweet, “The CA Bar lawyer is actually doing more to convince us the election illegalities merited what Prof Eastman recommended to his client. Courts rejecting cases on standing without EVER hearing evidence did a terrible injustice to the Constitution, and disenfranchised voters.” 

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Environmental Activists Push to Cancel July 4th Fireworks Shows

Admin

Multiple fireworks shows slated for July 4th along Los Angeles’ coastline have been canceled in the wake of a county mandate that was initially spurred by environmental activists, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board implemented a firework permit rule in an effort to clamp down on pollutants from firework displays, which reportedly affect nearby water sources, the LA Times reported. The Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) brought a lawsuit against Long Beach’s Big Bang on the Bay, alleging that a firework show in 2022 violated the Clean Water Act.

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Commentary: Radical Green Groups Are Attacking American Energy Independence at the Source

Admin

by Daniel Turner   Although America’s energy producers are already under daily attack from the Biden administration, the eco-left is not content to limit their crusade to Washington DC. They are funding local groups in energy producing states to put in place endless hurdles to responsibly extracting energy. While the tactics may differ by the state, they all share the same goal: stopping domestic production and American energy independence at the source. In Louisiana, known as one of the nation’s worst “Judicial Hellholes,” environmentalists are achieving their goals through countless frivolous lawsuits. For example, last year, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Sierra Club, and Healthy Gulf filed a lawsuit challenging a permit for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility that exports American natural gas to reduce dependence on Russian energy abroad. Although this lawsuit was ultimately tossed out by a state judge, the costs and headaches of the legal system create delays that can kill vital projects. Activists in Pennsylvania are pursuing a similar strategy. The Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council seeks to “stop using fossil fuels”  by  suing plants across the Commonwealth  to tie them down in endless litigation. This extreme group is funded by the national Energy Foundation, which is the largest recipient of grants from the foreign-funded Sea Change Foundation – a…

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