Month: June 2023

Court Filing: The Tennessee Star and Others Argue Metro Nashville Has No Case in Denying Release of Covenant Killer’s Manifesto

M.D. Kittle

In a new court filing, attorneys for Star News Digital Media, parent company of The Tennessee Star, argue that the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davison County and intervenors in a public records lawsuit have no right to keep the Covenant School killer’s manifesto and related records from the public.

The memorandum of law, filed with Davidson County Chancellor I’Ashea Myles, asserts the Metro Nashville Police Department cannot “play ‘hide the ball’ with the reason for denial and come in later, raising wholly new and unrelated denial reasons.”

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Former Abortionist: Media’s ‘Blatant Lie’ That Doctors Feel ‘Trapped’ by Abortion State Trigger Laws

Susan Berry, PhD

A former abortionist-turned pro-life advocate wrote at Conservative Review Monday that, even in South Dakota, media are pushing the leftist narrative that state laws restricting abortion are harming women in difficult pregnancies.

Patti Giebink, M.D., author of Unexpected Choice and a former Planned Parenthood abortionist, took to task a South Dakota Searchlight reporter who claimed “physicians feel ‘trapped’” by the state’s abortion trigger law by noting the media’s “dishonesty” about several key facts.

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Memphis Police Department Visits LGBT Community Leaders During Pride Parade

Peter D'Abrosca

The Memphis Police Department (MPD) shared a post on its Facebook Page celebrating its involvement with LGBT organizers during “pride month.”

“The Memphis Police Department joined community leaders, visitors, and participants for the 2023 Mid-South Pride Parade on Beale Street,” MPD said on Facebook. “Officers ensured the safety of everyone and provided traffic control around today’s events. The weather was perfect, and the food was excellent.”

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Federal Judge Recuses Himself in Disney Lawsuit Against DeSantis

The Center Square

New details have emerged about the legal battle between the state of Florida and the Walt Disney Company after the presiding judge recused himself from the case.

U.S. Judge Allen Winsor (appointed by former President Donald Trump) will take over the case after U.S. Judge Mark Walker (a former President Barack Obama appointee) recused himself on Thursday. On Friday, Winsor issued an order setting a deadline for June 26 for the state of Florida to file a motion to dismiss the case and gave a deadline of July 26 for Disney to file a counter filing.

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Norfolk Southern Seeks to Dismiss Lawsuit Over East Palestine Train Derailment

Hannah Poling

Norfolk Southern Railway seeks to dismiss a mass class action lawsuit against it following the catastrophic train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year.

The class action lawsuit, filed in federal court in Youngstown, is a collection of 31 separate lawsuits that residents and businesses from East Palestine and the surrounding areas brought against the railroad corporation. Earlier this year U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson ordered that all 31 cases be consolidated to streamline proceedings.

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New Florida Law Forces Universities to Vastly Expand Constitutional Curriculum, Civic Literacy

Admin

Florida’s three largest universities must vastly expand their instruction on constitutional principles under a new law recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The new law refocuses three already established academic centers at Florida State, University of Florida and Florida International University, retooling them with an emphasis on nurturing patriotism and western-democratic thought through active instruction.

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Wisconsin Senate Republican Boss: Votes Aren’t There for Share Revenue Tax Changes

The Center Square

The top Republican in the Wisconsin Senate says there are not enough Republican votes to change the plan for a Milwaukee sales tax increase.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said on UPFRONT over the weekend that he doesn’t have the 17 votes needed to pass a plan that would allow Milwaukee and Milwaukee County leaders to raise taxes, as opposed to putting the question to voters.

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Hobbs Announces $25 Million in Grants for Border Security

The Center Square

by Lauren Scott   Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on June 2 more than $25 million in border security awards for Yuma, Somerton, and Wellton Counties, and the Cocopah Indian Tribe. The funds will upgrade communications equipment, expand vehicle fleets, and hire additional personnel. They will allow local law enforcement to do their jobs more efficiently. Hobbs made the announcement during a press conference at Somerton City Hall in south Yuma County. “This funding will allow these cities to invest in meaningful technological support and ensure they have the tools needed to effectively manage the border,” Hobbs said at the news conference. The funding comes amid increased border crossings in the weeks after President Joe Biden ended Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic-era rule allowing asylum seekers and others to be turned away at the border. Yuma Chief of Police Thomas Garrity said this grant will deliver professional services to the community. The City of Somerton thanked Hobbs on Twitter “for helping secure vital funding for our Police Department.” Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said the funding would upgrade their current radio system. The Cocopah Indian Tribe posted on its Facebook page, “Of the combined total of $25 million, Cocopah will receive $2.3 million for critical equipment the Cocopah…

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Commentary: ‘Chasing’ Ballots is Not Enough

Admin

Apparently there’s some confusion about what some of us are actually proposing for winning in 2024. The best place to start in clearing up that confusion is by defining terms correctly.

We argued here and here, that if MAGA wishes to turn out its voters and win, the movement and its candidates must aggressively pursue their vote by securing their consent, and then, protecting them by implementing that agenda. Some have found these arguments less than persuasive because they fear Republicans are joining the Democrats in their less-than-honest methods of securing votes. So, we must explain further for those who appear confused.

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Ohio Attorney General Rejects Petition to Amend State Constitution Ending Qualified Immunity

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost rejected a petition which aims to amend the state constitution by ending qualified immunity for state workers claiming that the language is vague, confusing, and contradictory.

The proposal called “Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights” aims to add a Section 22 to Article I of the Ohio Constitution in order to end qualified immunity being used to protect state employees, including but not limited to law enforcement officers, against civil lawsuits.

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Former Michigan Police Officer Who Pulled Gun on Delivery Driver Must Stand Trial

The Center Square

A Clinton County Circuit Court judge has denied a motion to dismiss felony charges against former DeWitt police officer Chad Vorce for pulling a gun on a newspaper delivery driver.

The motion aimed to dismiss the felonious assault, felony firearm, and misconduct in office charges filed after Vorce drew his weapon twice near a newspaper delivery driver on Jan. 14, 2021.

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Arizona Officials Offer Heated Responses About School Choice Cost Projection

The Center Square

Arizona’s universal school choice program is estimated to see significant growth over the next fiscal year to 100,000 students with a price tag of $900 million. Opponents of the program say its cost will bankrupt the state but others say the expense will be offset.

In complying with state law, the Arizona Department of Education offered the Joint Legislative Budget Committee its annual estimate on what it would need to fund empowerment scholarship accounts for the upcoming fiscal year. With nearly 58,000 students already enrolled in the program, ADE projects the program will grow to 100,000 students in fiscal year 2024 at a cost of $900 million. 

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Virginia’s Gov. Youngkin Latest to Scrap College Degree Requirement for Most State Jobs

Admin

Virginia axed bachelor’s degree requirements for 90 percent of state jobs this week, following a precedent adopted by several states with bipartisan support over the last year.

“Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today a landmark change in how state agencies will recruit and compete for talent by eliminating degree requirements, preferences or both for almost 90% of state classified positions,” according to a Tuesday news release from the governor’s office.

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Philadelphia’s New Tourism Ad Draws Parallels Between Drag Queen Story Time and America’s Founding

Admin

Two drag queens read books to young children in front of Independence Hall in a new tourism ad for the City of Philadelphia released Friday.

Visit Philadelphia linked LGBT activism to the American founding in its press release for the ad and highlighted the city’s reputation as LGBT friendly. Drag queens Brittany Lynn and Morgan Wells read a book titled “Giraffes Can’t Dance” to about a dozen children and several parents in front of Independence Hall, the building in which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.

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Committee Passes Pennsylvania Measure to Facilitate Ex-Prisoner Voting

Bradley Vasoli

Incarcerated Pennsylvanias regain their right to vote after release, but Democratic state representatives worry they don’t vote enough, so they advanced legislation on Monday addressing the issue.

Voting 12-9 along party lines, Pennsylvania’s House State Government Committee approved Representative Carol Kazeem’s (D-Chester) resolution to study ex-prisoner election participation. After the Joint State Government Commission completes its research, officials would use the the information gathered to develop policies to aid former inmates’ resumption of voting. 

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Commentary: The REINS Act Might Be Biden’s Best ‘Deal’ on Regulations if Chevron Deference is Toppled by the Supreme Court

Admin

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will be considering H.R. 277, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, legislation by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), that would require Congressional approval for any regulation that either costs the economy at least $100 million, would impact consumer inflation or has or other ‘‘significant adverse effects’’ on the economy.

The legislation would build upon the 1996 Congressional Review Act — passed as a part of the debt ceiling deal with then President Bill Clinton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) — by increasing Congress’ role in regulation even further.

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School Districts Celebrate Pride Month with Drag Shows, LGBTQ Assemblies

Admin

School districts across the country are using drag shows, parades, assemblies and proclamations to celebrate LGBTQ Pride month.

Some school districts that are promoting the events throughout the month of June are located in Washington, Oregon, California and New Hampshire. The Pride celebrations are a part of the growing push to expand lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation into the classroom, education advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Commentary: Conservatives Cannot Afford to Stay Cowed Any Longer

Admin

A federal court ruling likely to drop this month should provide a good indication as to whether America still has a fully functioning First World justice system. The case, involving an investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James into the supposed mismanagement of controversial news outlet VDare.com, has received zero media coverage so far, despite it being as crude, brutish, and nakedly political as James’ other lawfare campaigns (notably against former President Trump and the NRA). In fact, it’s arguably worse, as it was clearly designed to dox VDare’s writers and volunteers and bankrupt the tiny outlet out of existence.

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Crisis of Confidence in U.S. Marine Corps as Biden Nominates New Commandant

Just the News

President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Marine Corps is raising concern among war hawks and others about whether his appointment will continue what they see as an ongoing effort to strip the military branch of its internal and external might and prowess.

Gen. Eric Smith, now the assistant commandant for the Marines, was nominated last week by the White House to be the next Marine Corps commandant.

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DOD ‘Bait and Switch’ with Emergency and Licensed COVID Vaccines Killed Student, Lawsuit Alleges

Just the News

The Pentagon conducted “human experimentation without consent” by falsely advertising a COVID-19 vaccine under emergency use authorization as fully licensed, a “bait and switch” that killed a college student, according to a new lawsuit against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by the student’s estate.

George Watts was waiting for FDA approval of Pfizer’s Comirnaty to fulfill the COVID vaccine mandate at New York’s Corning Community College, which provided a 35-day grace period for compliance following Comirnaty’s Aug. 23, 2021, approval, the filing states.

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Ruthless Repression: Nicaraguan President Imprisons More than 1,800 People for Political Reasons in the Last Five Years

ADN America

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)  published new figures on the repression in Nicaragua, five years after the massive protests that came close to removing the dictator Daniel Ortega from power.

According to the IACHR , in this period the Nicaraguan tyrant has ordered the imprisonment of 1,841 opponents. To date, 47 people remain in detention, while 222 have been deported.

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J6 Unmasked: Security Footage Confirms Senate Door Opened, Allowing 300 to Enter Capitol Freely

Just the News

A door on the West side of the U.S. Capitol was left open and mostly unguarded for key moments during the Jan. 6 riot, allowing more than 300 people to enter the building unimpeded even as officers fought valiantly to keep protesters out of other sections of the official home of Congress, according to police security footage obtained by Just the News. The footage — which confirms concerns first raised by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., two years ago — shows an episode in a narrow hallway in the middle of the Capitol that began around 2:30p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021 right after the first breaches were reported elsewhere in the landmark building.

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Comer Will Press for Contempt of Congress Against FBI Director Wray After Seeing Document Alleging Biden Bribery Scheme: Report

Just the News

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Monday he will start the process of bringing congressional contempt charges against FBI Director Christopher Wray, despite viewing the subpoenaed document that day that alleged Joe Biden was involved in a bribery scheme.

“At the briefing, the FBI again refused to hand over the unclassified record to the custody of the House Oversight Committee,” Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said, according to Fox News Digital. “And we will now initiate contempt of Congress hearings this Thursday.” 

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NRA Exec, Trump Donor Says Daughter and Granddaughter Died in Plane Crash that Sparked DC Sonic Boom

Just the News

An NRA executive and major Republican donor said her daughter and granddaughter were killed alongside the 2-year-old girl’s nanny and the pilot of a private Cessna plane that crashed in Virginia and sparked a sonic boom from responding military jets.

“My family is gone, my daughter and granddaughter,” Barbara Rumpel posted on Facebook Sunday evening. 

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Teachers’ Union’s ‘Schools in Transition’ Guide Instructs How to Bolster Gender Ideology in Classrooms

Susan Berry, PhD

A lesser known document created in 2015 by the National Education Association (NEA), a group of LGBTQ activists, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) laid the “groundwork” for the gender ideology movement in schools years before the recent increase in the numbers of transgender young people, reports the Freedom Foundation.

NEA, the nation’s largest teachers’ union, provides a “toolkit” website page that features “NEA LGBTQ+ Resources,” the purpose of which appears to be to offer “support to transgender and non-binary students,” to indoctrinate all students with “LGBTQ+ history in their classrooms,” and to engage students in a political agenda that includes stopping “LGBTQ+ bias and intolerance in our public schools.”

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Haley Says She Doesn’t ‘Trust Government’ with ‘Red Flag Laws,’ Vows to End Gun-Free Zones

Admin

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday that she doesn’t “trust government to deal with red flag laws” during a CNN Town Hall, and called for addressing mental health and abolishing gun-free zones.

“I don’t trust government to deal with red flag laws,” Haley said in response to an audience member’s question regarding mass shootings. “I don’t trust that they won’t take them away from people who rightfully deserve to have them, because you’ve got someone else judging whether someone should have a gun or not. It is a constitutional right that people can protect and defend themselves.”

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Congress Probing if FBI Used ‘Russian Disinformation’ Claim to Shut Down Biden Inquiries

Just the News

The FBI travels to Capitol Hill on Monday to show House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer a confidential informant memo from summer 2020 alleging that Joe Biden was involved in a foreign bribery scheme, but the contents won’t be a surprise to Republicans. Both Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley have already read the memo.

The larger question for Teams Comer and Grassley is whether the FBI sidelined the allegation of a $5 million bribery involving U.S. policy – which came from a confidential human source with a trusted track record – during the height of the 2020 election.

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Biden’s CIA Director Took Secret Trip To China: Report

Admin

CIA Director William Burns made a covert trip to China in May for meetings with officials in a bid to restore deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing, the Financial Times reported, citing five anonymous officials familiar with the situation.

The visit to China is Burns’ first and the most senior by any Biden administration official, underscoring how concerned the president is over deepening rifts in official communication between the competing countries, the FT reported. Yet, experts have raised concerns about the CIA director’s vulnerability to malign political influence from Beijing since the Daily Caller News Foundation revealed he formerly headed a Washington-based think tank employing undisclosed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members.

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Vermont Agrees to Pay $125K to Father, Daughter Punished for Speaking Out Against Trans Student

Admin

A Vermont school district punished a father and his daughter for speaking out against a biological male in the girls’ locker room. Now, The Daily Signal has learned, the district has settled with the Allen family in what its legal team is hailing as a “resounding victory.”

That settlement requires that the Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust pay $125,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees and costs to Travis Allen and Jessica Allen, on behalf of their daughter, Blake Allen, and their attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom.

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White House Says DOJ to Challenge State Laws That Block Transgender Treatments for Kids

Just the News

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the Biden administration can and will use the Department of Justice to fight state laws that “target” transgender kids.

“This year alone, more than 600 anti-LGBTQI bills have been filed in statehouses across the country, and a significant portion of those bills target transgender youth,” she said Friday. “As President Biden says, these young people are some of the bravest people he knows, but no one should have to be brave to be themselves.”

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Florida’s DeSantis Signs Bill to Help Preserve Indian River Lagoon

The Center Square

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law this week that will help protect Florida’s water resources and support conservation efforts in the Sunshine State.

House Bill 1379 was sponsored by Rep. Kevin Steele, R-Hudson, and Rep.Tobin Overdorf, R-Stuart, and will create designated funding for the state’s conservation efforts as part of DeSantis’ common sense conservation agenda.

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Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis

Hannah Poling

A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill that would legalize adult-use cannabis in Ohio.

House Bill (HB) 168 known as the “Ohio Adult Use Act” sponsored by State Representatives Jamie Callender (R-Concord) and Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) would permit Ohio residents over the age of 21 to grow, buy, and possess cannabis, as well as allow the expungement of conviction records for prior crimes involving cultivation and possession.

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Georgia Democrat Calls for Lawmakers to Pass School Choice Bill

The Center Square

A bipartisan group of lawmakers made their case for school choice in Georgia, saying parents should have the opportunity to choose better schools for their children.

During this year’s session, Georgia lawmakers killed Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, a measure to create state-funded education savings accounts. Nearly all Democrats and a few Republicans voted against the measure.

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Yee: Arizona Permanent Land Endowment Trust Fund Market Value Up 37 Percent Since 2019

The Center Square

Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee said the local government investment pool’s total assets in April and the permanent land endowment trust fund’s market value increased since she took office in January 2019. 

“The local government investment pool’s total assets in April reached an all-time record high of $6.25 billion,” Yee said in the meeting. “That is a $2.86 billion increase in assets since I took office in 2019, an 84.8% increase.”

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Arizona Court Expands Expungement to Illegal Cannabis Sellers

The Center Square

The Arizona Court of Appeals made a significant ruling this week, stating that prior convictions and arrests related to the sale of marijuana are now eligible for expungement. 

“Today’s decision is a great embodiment of the will of the Arizona voters who elected to undo the harms caused by the overpolicing of marijuana laws,” Martin Hutchins, lead attorney and program manager for the Reclaim Your Future campaign – a state-funded expungement effort – said in a statement May 30. 

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California Senate Passes $25 Minimum Wage for Healthcare Workers

The Center Square

A $25 minimum wage bill for healthcare workers was passed on Wednesday in the California Senate. The partisan bill did not receive a single Republican vote in its 21-11 passage. Authored by Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), and championed by the Service Employees International Union, the bill proposes to increase the state’s minimum wage for healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers at general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, medical offices and clinics, behavioral health centers, dialysis clinics and residential care centers as well as as certified nursing assistants, patient aides, technicians, and food service workers, among many others can all expect a wage increase, if the bill becomes law. All paid work performed on the premises of any covered health care facility, regardless of the identity of the employer qualifies for the increase.

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Commentary: Left-Wing Authoritarianism

Admin

The daily issue of Lisa DePasquale’s “Bright” political newsletter never disappoints. Her May 31 edition was quite an eye opener. To wit, via the New York Post, DePasquale highlights the findings of a study titled, “Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment”:

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