SCOTUS Holds Law Making It Illegal to ‘Encourage or Induce’ Illegal Immigration Does Not Violate First Amendment

The Supreme Court upheld a law that makes it a crime to “encourage or induce” illegal immigration, rejecting the argument that it violates the First Amendment.

The case, United States v. Hansen, stems from Helaman Hansen’s 2017 conviction for running a program advertising a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants through “adult adoption,” which earned him more $1.8 million between 2012 and 2016. Though it affirmed Hansen’s convictions on mail and wire fraud charges, the Ninth Circuit held that the law behind his two counts of encouraging or inducing non-citizens to reside in the United States for financial gain was “overbroad and unconstitutional,” covering “a substantial amount of speech protected by the First Amendment.”

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Commentary: For the Love of English, Stop Changing Definitions

There has long been a debate in linguistics about how to approach language and how language should be used by native speakers. The two traditional schools of thought are prescriptivists and descriptivists. The former are concerned with establishing norms for language and formulating rules and proper ways of using said language. On the other hand, the latter believe that a given language should be understood by how it is used, without establishing certain rules and parameters.

It seems that the English language today, at least in America, is in the throes of taking the descriptivist position to the extreme. We are now seeing a concerted effort to overturn the traditional definitions of words and terms in order to push certain political and social agendas.

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JPMorgan Accused of Deleting Millions of Emails in the Midst of Ongoing Investigations

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials earlier this week fined JPMorgan Chase $4 million after the company allegedly deleted roughly 47 million emails while in the midst of security investigations.

The settlement order states that the messages were allegedly deleted from about 8,700 mailboxes that belonged to about 7,500 employees who had regular contact with Chase customers.

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Illegal Border Crossers Since 2021 Total More than Individual Populations of 38 States

The number of illegal border crossings at the northern and southern borders and all ports of entry since January 2021 totals more than 8 million people, greater than the individual populations of 38 U.S. states.

Put another way, the number of foreign nationals from all over the world believed to be primarily illegally entering the U.S. is comparable to the populations of eight Delawares, four New Mexicos, two Oklahomas or more than 13 Wyomings.

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Special Counsel Seeks Delay in Trump’s Classified Docs Trial

Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to delay the trial of former President Donald Trump on charges related to alleged handling of classified documents Friday.

Smith filed the motions before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, seeking to move the trial to December as opposed to the scheduled August 14 trial date, ABC News reported. Smith’s filings cited the need to ensure sufficient time for Trump’s defense attorneys to receive security clearances to look at the material.

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Supreme Court Sides with Biden Admin on Immigration Enforcement Plan

The Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration Friday, ruling 8-1 against two states that challenged its immigration enforcement priorities.

Texas and Louisiana challenged guidelines issued by the Department of Homeland Security in 2021 that prioritized arresting and removing certain groups of illegal immigrants, including suspected terrorists and criminals. The Supreme Court held Friday that the two states lack standing to challenge the guidelines, noting that the states “have not cited any precedent, history, or tradition of courts ordering the Executive Branch to change its arrest or prosecution policies so that the Executive Branch makes more arrests or initiates more prosecutions.”

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Evangelical Leader Says GOP Candidates Need to ‘Grow a Backbone’ on Abortion

Faith and Freedom Coalition (FFC) Founder Ralph Reed said that some GOP candidates need to “grow a backbone” on the issue of abortion, according to an Associated Press article published Friday.

FFC’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., from June 22-24 falls over the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and dismissed the idea of a constitutional right to abortion. Reed said that in light of the timing of the two events he wanted to give the candidates a “bit of a testosterone booster shot” to encourage them to be more aggressive on the issue of abortion, according to the AP.

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New National Coalition of Sheriffs Forms to Address Border Crisis

Following through on a pledge he made during his first border security summit in Arizona and ahead of his next border trip to Texas on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced the creation of a new national coalition of sheriffs committed to working together to combat crime stemming from the border crisis.

More than 90 sheriffs from 24 states are part of the coalition. Notably absent from the list are Texas border sheriffs who’ve been combating border-related crime for years.

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California Bill Would Enable Therapists to ‘Emancipate’ 12-Year-Olds from Their Own Parents

On Tuesday, Democrats in the state of California advanced a bill that would allow therapists and other mental health “professionals” to have children forcibly removed from their homes and placed into state custody without the consent of the parents.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the State Senate’s Judiciary Committee approved Assembly Bill 665, which passed by a party-line vote. If the bill became law, children as young as 12 would be legally allowed to check themselves into state-run shelters with the unconditional approval of a therapist or counselor, and without the parents’ knowledge.

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MTG, Elise Stefanik Move to Expunge Both Trump Impeachments

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik to expunge the first and second impeachments of former President Donald Trump, respectively.

Trump remains, to date, the only president in history ever to have been impeached twice. The first case stemmed from whistleblower claims that he had attempted to coerce Ukraine into announcing an investigation into the Biden family.

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Public Pride Display Removed After Tennessee Mayor Speaks Out

In his capacity as a private citizen, the mayor of the town of Athens spoke out against a “pride month” display at the town’s library, eventually leading to the display being taken down. 

Athens Mayor Steven Sherlin and Vice Mayor Larry Eaton demanded that the display at the E.G. Fisher Library be taken down at a Tuesday city council, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

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Lawsuit Against Virginia Tech Bias Response Team May Land Before Supreme Court

A recent federal court ruling siding with Virginia Tech’s bias response team has prompted center-right watchdogs to call for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case to protect free speech in higher education.

The controversy centers on a 2021 complaint from Speech First, a nonprofit committed to safeguarding freedom of speech on college campuses, which argued Virginia Tech’s Bias Intervention and Response Team policies and procedures infringe on students’ ability to speak freely about controversial issues.

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Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus Blocks Penn State Hospital Funding over Trans Puberty Blockers Policy

Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Freedom Caucus have at least temporarily blocked a bill funneling taxpayer dollars to Penn State University following news that the university hospital is prescribing puberty blockers to children.

House Bill 1456 failed to reach the needed two-thirds majority threshold Thursday that it required to pass the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

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University of Minnesota Accused of ‘Genocide,’ Should Pay Native American Reparations: Report

The University of Minnesota is guilty of “genocide” of Native Americans and should atone for it with reparations forever and the return of land.

The “Towards Recognition and University Tribal-Healing Project,” shortened to “TRUTH Project,” released a 215-page report that accused the Big Ten university of “persistent, systemic mistreatment of Indigenous peoples.”

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Commentary: The Crumbling Relationship Between Big Business and the GOP

Relationships don’t always last forever. As with friendships, neighbors, employment, and even marriages, sadly, longstanding political bonds can be severed. Today, the supposed “marriage” between big business and the Republican Party seems on the rocks. It might even be in a slow-motion breakup.

A recent Wall Street Journal article recounts the growing rift between the GOP and big business. Republican leaders are more willing to criticize corporations, Republican lawmakers are proposing more legislation regulating business, and the GOP is becoming less and less dependent on corporate donations.

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Automotive Parts Manufacturer Plans Facility in Georgia

An automotive parts manufacturer plans to establish a new facility in Henry County, and the state is offering “customized training services” as part of the project.

NVH Korea plans to spend $72 million on the Locust Grove facility and create more than 160 jobs. The new facility at Gardner Logistics Park on Colvin Drive will supply battery parts for electric vehicles in the United States.

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Florida Sues Federal Government over School Accreditation Collaboration

The state of Florida filed a lawsuit this week to challenge federal collaboration with accreditation organizations to usurp recent reforms to the Sunshine State’s higher education system.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida on Thursday with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

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Wisconsin’s Budget-Writing Committee Passes Budget with ‘Historic’ $4.3 Billion Tax Cut

After a season of spending, the Wisconsin Legislature is finally getting around to talking tax cuts. Perhaps Republicans have saved the best for last.

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee put the finishing touches on a complete rewrite of Democrat Governor Tony Evers’ 2023-25 state budget proposal, passing a tax reform package that promises to deliver $3.5 billion in income tax cuts and nearly $800 million in property tax relief. 

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Ohio Governor DeWine Pushes for $13 Million from State Budget for Narcotics Intelligence Center Expansion

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is pushing for $13 million of the state’s biennial operating budget to be used for the expansion of the statewide Narcotics Intelligence Center.

The Governor discussed the funding during the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center’s Law Enforcement Drug Summit on Thursday saying that this $13 million increase is pivotal as it better allows them to assist local law enforcement agencies across the state with handling drug-related violent crimes.

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Ohio House Advances Legislation Creating a Unified Barber Cosmetology License

The Ohio House of Representatives advanced a piece of Republican-backed legislation that modernizes the statutes authorizing the Cosmetology and Barber Board.

House Bill (HB) 158, sponsored by State Representatives Melanie Miller (R-City of Ashland) and Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), unanimously passed out of the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee advancing it to the house floor for further consideration.

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Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio Endorses State Issue 1

Another major Ohio business organization has come out in support of Ohio State Issue 1 which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

Issue 1, if approved by voters, would mandate a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.

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West Virginia Politicians Boosted Company Now Trying to Sell Them on ‘Untested’ Tech to Turn Coal Plant Green

A company that has been supported by West Virginia’s highest-profile politicians is tying to sell the state on “untested” tech to convert one of its key coal power plants into a green energy project, E&E News reported Friday.

The California-based Omnis Technologies in early June signed a letter of intent to purchase the Pleasants Power Station and convert the coal-fired power plant into a hydrogen plant fueled by the byproducts of Omnis’ nearby graphite facility, according to local outlet WTAP. Industry experts cast doubt on whether the little-known company — whose green housing project in the state was praised by both the state’s Republican Gov. Jim Justice and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin — was prepared to pull off such a significant transition, according to E&E News.

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Commentary: Prof Jenkin’s Summer Reading List for Young Conservatives Part I

If you’re a conservative college student hoping to spend your time profitably this summer, here’s a suggestion: Read a book. Read several. That will broaden your horizons, deepen your understanding, and improve your vocabulary.

Plus, tackling longer works—as opposed to short pieces like this, which, don’t get me wrong, you should also read—helps you develop self-discipline and improves your powers of concentration.

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U.S. 13-Year-Olds Show ‘Historic Declines’ in Math and Reading

Math and reading achievement for 13-year-olds in the United States is at its lowest level in decades, according to test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) examination, also known as the Nation’s Report Card.

According to results released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average mathematics score for 13-year-olds plunged nine points between the 2019‒20 and 2022‒23 school years, while the average reading score declined four points over the same time period.

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Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer Testifies During Third Day of Disbarment Trial of Trump Attorney John Eastman

The third day of the State Bar of California (SBC) disbarment trial of Trump attorney John Eastman took place on Thursday, with the SBC calling Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Jonathan Marks, Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions in Pennsylvania, as witnesses. Richer is a Republican who started a PAC for election fraud-denying Republicans, and Marks was appointed to the position under then-Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Kathryn Boockvar, a Democrat.

Attorneys for Eastman and the SBC conducted direct and cross-examination of the two witnesses. Shortly into the direct examination of Richer, as he began testifying about his confidence regarding Dominion voting machine tabulators, Eastman’s attorney Randy Miller expressed his concern to the SBC disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland that she was allowing the SBC’s witnesses like Richer to present one side but not allowing Eastman’s witnesses to testify on the same topic. He said it was “quite prejudicial,” only “getting half the story.” Roland did not change her mind. 

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Homeland Security Secretary Appoints AFT President Randi Weingarten to Security Council to Advise on Keeping Schools Safe from ‘Terrorism’

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced Wednesday that American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten is among 20 new members appointed to his Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council (HSAPC), which seeks to advise the DHS secretary on “campus safety and security, improved coordination, research priorities, hiring, and more.”

“The newly appointed members are a diverse group representing higher education associations, campus law enforcement, two- and four-year colleges and universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and Asian American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions,” DHS said in a press statement about the new appointments.

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Tucker Carlson Discusses RFK Jr’s Campaign in Episode Six of ‘Tucker on Twitter’

In the sixth episode of his newest production, “Tucker on Twitter,” former Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson discussed his thoughts on why the media “hates” Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr.

During his 18-minute monologue released Thursday afternoon, Carlson said “there’s never been a candidate for president the media hated more than [RFK] Jr,” adding that even former President Donald Trump got a “gentle scalp massage” in regards to media coverage when compared to what RFJ Jr. has been receiving ever since he announced his candidacy.

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IRS Whistleblower Says Search Warrants, Charges for Hunter Biden Blocked, Joe Met Chinese Client

A supervisory IRS agent divulged to Congress widespread interference in the probe of Hunter Biden, including the blockage of two search warrants and more extensive criminal charges, while also confirming the government had evidence that Joe Biden met with his son’s Chinese business partners, according to testimony released Thursday,

Just the News obtained the testimony of IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley shortly after the House Ways and Means Committee voted to pierce Hunter Biden’s tax privacy and make the agent’s allegations of preferential treatment and political interference public.

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Tennessee’s Republican AG Exits Group Sponsored by Woke Companies

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has left an organization of state attorneys general that has accepted sponsorships from left-leaning companies and nonprofits, The Daily Signal has learned. 

The organization, called the Attorneys General Alliance, is holding its annual conference this week in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The annual conference, running Monday through Thursday, was expected to attract 850 attendees from the offices of 30 state attorneys general. 

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Sen. Blackburn Slams Biden Admin for Being Soft on China

A U.S. Senator from Tennessee spent Thursday morning slamming President Joe Biden and his administration for what she believes are weak policies that are allowing China to gain ground in the war for global dominance. 

“The Biden administration wants to let Communist China off the hook on COVID, Taiwan, and Cuba. Their policies will makes us more dependent on the CCP,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), attaching a video from an appearance on Fox News. 

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Poll: Trump Maintains Double-Digit Lead over DeSantis in South Carolina

Among likely South Carolina primary voters, Former President Donald Trump has maintained his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis 41 percent to 18 percent in the multi-candidate ballot, according to the latest National Research poll commissioned by American Greatness.

Last month, Trump led DeSantis 43 percent to 18 percent among likely South Carolina primary voters. This change is well within the survey’s margin of error (+/- 4.38 percent), so it is not considered to be statistically significant.

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Pennsylvania House Committee Advances Legislation Favoring Certain Contractors; GOP Flags Alleged Notice Violation

A Pennsylvania House of Representatives panel on Thursday passed bills to favor apprenticeship-trained labor and pay prevailing wages in state contracting in a process Republicans blasted as illegitimate.

The House Labor and Industry Committee reported both bills to the full chamber, with all 12 Democrats supportive and all nine Republicans opposed.

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New State Budget Sends New Hampshire School Spending Soaring, Even as Enrollment Declines

Fewer students and falling test scores couldn’t stop New Hampshire politicians from pouring even more money into the state’s public school system. It is part of a decades-long trend of Granite State taxpayers spending more money to teach fewer children and getting declining results.

Gov. Chris Sununu bragged the FY 2024-25 budget “provides more money for public education than ever before.”

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University of New Hampshire Poll: State GOP Voters Stick with Trump in Classified Docs Case, But Indies Say He’s Guilty

In the eyes of most Granite Staters, former President Donald Trump is a criminal. But that’s not stopping a majority of Republicans from giving the former president their thumbs up.

And, echoing the findings of the NHJournal/coefficient poll released last week, Republicans in the latest Granite State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, out of the UNH Survey Center said Trump’s indictment on federal charges made it more, not less, likely they’ll support him.

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Democratic Virginia Candidates Compete for Primary Wins in Newly Drawn Districts

In yesterday’s General Assembly primaries, competition was fierce among Democrats for unclaimed Senate districts newly defined in Virginia’s last redistricting in 2021. 

Incumbents represented a little more than one-third of the commonwealth’s senatorial candidates. Ten Democratic Senators returned to contend for their seats, with eight competing against newcomers and two squaring off against each other for the up-for-grabs 18th District. Four of the eight incumbent-challenger Democratic races went to the current Senators.

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Data: Michigan Labor Force Grew in May

Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 16 of Michigan’s 17 labor market areas over the month, according to data released today by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

“Regional jobless rates advanced in May as residents began entering the summer job market,” labor market information director for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics Wayne Rourke said in a statement. “Payroll employment rose in most metro areas over the month.”

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