Chairman Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott) and Vice-Chair Selina Bliss (R-Prescott) of the Arizona House of Representatives Judiciary Committee have sent a letter to the Phoenix City Council asking its members to rescind a recently-approved ordinance that allows for the transfer of approximately 500-600 unclaimed firearms to the National Police of Ukraine.
Read the full storyMonth: July 2023
Arizona Republican Lawmakers Oppose the Biden Administration’s Proposed EPA Regulations
Arizona Republican lawmakers are fighting back against the “disastrous impacts” the proposed changes to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules will have on Arizonans.
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) sent two letters to the U.S. EPA in opposition to the EPA’s proposed regulations which would mandate a transition to electric cars and trucks from model year 2027 through model year 2032.
Read the full storyIllegal Immigrant Who Allegedly Raped Nine-Year-Old That Got Abortion to Stand Trial in Ohio
An illegal immigrant is due to appear in an Ohio court Wednesday for his trial after he allegedly raped a minor who was nine years old at the time.
In July 2022, Gerson Fuentes, who the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced in 2022 was in the country illegally, was charged with two counts of felony rape after he was accused of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old in Ohio twice between January and May 12, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The minor obtained an abortion in Indiana at the age of 10, leading police to arrest Fuentes, who is set to stand trial this week for the charges in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, in Ohio.
Read the full storyGeorgia Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding Amazon of Nearly $10 Million
A woman from Atlanta has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for stealing more than $9.4 million from Amazon while employed as a manager for the company.
Read the full storyArizona GOP Legislative District 3 Declares July ‘Pride in America’ Month
A large majority of Republican Party officials in a Maricopa County-area legislative district voted to declare the month of July “Pride in America Month.” The June 29th move comes at the close of a contentious “Pride Month” recognizing the LGBTQ+ community.
In all, two-thirds of the precinct committeemen (PCs) in Arizona’s Republican Legislative District 3 (LD3) voted to pass the resolution.
Read the full storyLouisiana Governor Vetoes Bill Protecting Minors from Transgender Hormone Drugs and Surgeries
Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) has vetoed the Stop Harming Our Kids Act, legislation that would have protected children and teens from transgender hormone drugs and surgeries, claiming “there was never any evidence or testimony” that gender transition surgeries on minors have been occurring in Louisiana.
In a six-page letter, dated June 29, to Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder (R-Ascension), Edwards wrote HB 648 is “punitive,“ discriminatory,” “part of a targeted assault on children,” and “denies healthcare to a very small, unique, and vulnerable group of children.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Randi Weingarten Is the Last Person to Give Advice on School Safety
Straight from the “No matter how cynical I get, I just can’t keep up” file, it was recently announced that American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten has been appointed to the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council. According to the Homeland Security website, the HSAPC will “provide strategic and actionable recommendations to the Secretary on campus safety and security, improved coordination, research priorities, hiring, and more.”
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) vented his frustration with the appointment, tweeting that Weingarten “is the last person who should be advising anyone on school safety.”
Read the full storySecret Service Confirms Cocaine Found in White House
The U.S. Secret Service has confirmed that cocaine was found at the White House on the eve of Fourth of July, the discovery of which prompted a West Wing evacuation, according to ABC News.
Secret Service agents discovered the substance in the West Wing on Sunday, two days after President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was seen leaving the building, as part of a routine security sweep of the building, and initially suspected it was anthrax, prompting an evacuation of the building. The agency confirmed that the substance was cocaine Wednesday after conducting a drug test, according to ABC News.
Read the full storyVivek Ramaswamy Commits to Funding $250,000 in Scholarships for Ten High School Students to ‘Revive Patriotism’
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and his wife announced their commitment of $250,000 to fund a new scholarship.
Read the full storyMcCabe: The Public Discovery of Cocaine in the White House Tells Us More About the Secret Service than It Does About the Bidens
Crom Carmichael – the original all star panelist – shared his insights on two recent Supreme Court decisions about the separation of powers and free speech during Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report’s with Michael Patrick Leahy.
Read the full storyMiddle Tennessee Animal Shelter Warns of Pet Scammers
A middle Tennessee animal shelter is urging pet owners to take caution as it says scammers are assuming its identity.
According to reports, scammers pretending to be employees of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter are attempting to bilk the owners of lost pets out of money. The scam involves calling those owners of lost pets and claiming that their pet has been found. The scammers then ask for payment in exchange for return of the pet.
Read the full storyU.S. Poverty Increased for First Time in 10 Years Due to Pandemic
The U.S. poverty rate rose for the first time in 10 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with job losses, especially in the country’s biggest cities, among the largest contributing factors, according to a recently released U.S. Census Bureau report.
The rate increased from 12.3% in 2019 to 12.8% in 2021.
Read the full storyTennessee Department of Education Funds 32 School Districts with Perkins Reserve Grants
The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) recently announced that 32 school districts across the state have been awarded funds from the Perkins Reserve Grant (PRG) to support career and technical education (CTE) for the 2023-24 school year.
Tennessee’s CTE consists of “16 nationally recognized career clusters with the ultimate goal of preparing students for success at the postsecondary level and in their chosen careers.”
Read the full storyPro-Life Groups Demand Congress Halt Pentagon’s Abortion Travel Funding Policy
A group of pro-life groups have called on House Republicans to stop the Department of Defense policy allowing military servicemembers time off and reimbursement for travel to obtain abortions.
The Pentagon adopted the plan in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and led to numerous states banning the procedure entirely or at least imposing restrictions.
Read the full storyWatchdog Group: Biden Administration Pushing to Make A.I. Inherently Left-Wing
As artificial intelligence (A.I.) technology takes off, the Biden Administration is allegedly pursuing efforts to make sure that such new technology adopts a left-wing worldview by default.
According to Fox News, the report comes from the watchdog group American Accountability Foundation (AAF), which said in a new memo that top officials in the Biden White House are attempting to program “dangerous ideologies” into new A.I. systems.
Read the full storyHarvard Facing New Civil Rights Complaints After Affirmative Action Ruling
Following a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court effectively ending the practice of race-based preferences in college admissions, Harvard University is facing new civil rights challenges over its practice of legacy admissions.
As reported by The Hill, the Ivy League university is now facing complaints from the Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), a left-wing group representing black and Hispanic groups based in the New England area. LCR’s complaint claims that “each year, Harvard College grants special preference in its admissions process to hundreds of mostly White students — not because of anything they have accomplished, but rather solely because of who their relatives are.”
Read the full storyDrag Queen ‘Peaches Christ’ Blames ‘Bigoted Christians’ at Google for Tech Company’s Removal of Performance from ‘Pride’ Events
A drag queen who uses the name “Peaches Christ” lashed out against ‘bigoted Christians” in a social media post after Google removed its affiliation from his previously scheduled performance during the company’s “pride” events.
As CNBC reported, Google appeared to distance itself from its original plans to sponsor drag queen Joshua Grannell’s performance at a San Francisco LGBTQ bar as part of its “pride” month events after a petition circulating among the tech giant’s employees expressed opposition to its anti-Christian theme.
Read the full storyMinnesota Abortions Increased Significantly in 2022, Report Says
Abortions in Minnesota experienced a significant increase of 20% in 2022, as revealed in a report released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
This sharp rise comes on the heels of new abortion laws passed by lawmakers during the 2023 session, removing restrictions on abortion throughout pregnancy and repealing long-standing abortion laws, including portions of the reporting law that governs the release of the MDH data.
Read the full storyOhio Secretary of State: The Left Is Spreading ‘Outright Lies’ About State Issue 1
Ohio Secretary of State and undeclared candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024, Frank LaRose, told The Ohio Star that Ohioans need to know about two lies the Left is spreading about State Issue 1 before going to the polls.
“People need to know about the outright lies the Left is saying about Issue 1,” LaRose told The Star.
Read the full storyCommentary: Social Conservatism Is Rebounding
It was just a matter of time. Decent Americans have had radical race and LGBTQ+ agendas shoved in their face for too long, and now they are fighting back. Too bad not all conservatives are on board.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan recently said that he was not a “cultural war guy,” contending that he is more concerned about the debt crisis. This is what we would expect from someone who is at home sitting on the board of directors of Fox News’ parent company, Fox Corporation.
Read the full storyArizona Attorney Rachel Mitchell Calls on Governor to Rescind Executive Order on Abortion-Related Crimes
Republican Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is calling on Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to rescind her executive order that strips county attorneys of their authority to prosecute abortion-related crimes.
Last month Hobbs signed a sweeping executive order to protect anyone involved with a “legally obtained” abortion from prosecution.
Read the full storyNational Labor Union Data Contradicts Pennsylvania Teacher Exodus Claims
Teacher compensation across Pennsylvania grew over the past decade, despite claims from officials that low salaries and high stress scare educators from the state in droves.
The data, gleaned from a recent report from the National Education Association – one of the country’s largest labor unions – found that teachers in Pennsylvania earned an average of $73,072 during the 2021-22 school year – the 11th highest rate in the nation.
Read the full storyFlorida Issues 2,265 New Recruit Police Bonuses So Far, 668 from Out of State
More than 2,200 new recruits to Florida law enforcement agencies have been awarded bonuses through a new program launched last year, with those moving to Florida from 48 states and two U.S. territories.
Florida was the first state to launch such a recruitment program last year and has since issued over 2,265 bonuses. Florida’s Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program awarded more than $15 million bonuses officers in fiscal 2022. The $5,000 bonus includes a $1,694 payment to cover federal income taxes so the net each receives remains $5,000. Florida does not assess an individual income tax. Each new recruit receives a gross bonus of $6,694.
Read the full storyMichigan Government Grows Under Gov. Whitmer
When government grows, taxpayers should ask why and what they’re getting from it.
A Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency report shows in fiscal year 2017-18, adjusted total appropriations equaled $55.8 billion. From fiscal year 2017-24, spending ballooned to $82 billion – a spending increase of $26 billion, or 47%.
Read the full storyWisconsin Is Outlier Among Great Lakes States for Medicaid Expansion
Wisconsin is the only Great Lakes state that hasn’t adopted Medicaid expansion, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
KFF has tracked states’ expansion of Medicaid. It found that Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota have adopted and implemented Medicaid expansion. Iowa and Michigan implemented expansion in 2014, while Minnesota expanded it at the beginning of 2015, the report found. Iowa and Michigan are among seven states that have approved Section 1115 waivers from federal laws to operate their expanded Medicaid expansion programs. The other states are Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana and Utah.
Read the full storySix Regions in Virginia to Receive Economic Development Funding
Economic development organizations throughout the commonwealth are receiving $2.9 million in eight grant awards through Growth and Opportunity for Virginia, an organization that focuses on fostering sustainable regional economic growth in the commonwealth.
“These GO Virginia projects exemplify our commitment to fostering economic growth and creating opportunities across various regions,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “By removing barriers to entrepreneurship, improving industrial sites and increasing the number of Virginia’s shovel-ready sites, we are propelling the growth of targeted industries and clearing pathways for sustainable employment.”
Read the full storyOhio Governor DeWine Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration for East Palestine
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine requested on Monday that President Joe Biden issue a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for damage resulting from the catastrophic East Palestine train derailment that occurred earlier this year.
This follows two groups of protestors, Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing, pressuring the Ohio Governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Monday deadline.
Read the full storyNew Hampshire Tax Revenue Collections Rise in May
New Hampshire tax collections soared in May, according to the latest Department of Administrative Services numbers.
For the month, New Hampshire brought in a total of $152.2 million for the general and education funds, a 28.8% increase representing $34.1 million over the fiscal year 2023 plan, said Charles M. Arlinghaus, commissioner of the department.
Read the full storyArizona State House Speaker Asks Governor Hobbs to Rescind ‘Unintelligible’ LGBTQ Executive Order
Arizona State House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) has sent a letter to Governor Katie Hobbs calling on her office to rescind a recent executive order banning so-called “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ individuals and youth, calling it “unconstitutional.”
Read the full storyOhio Law School Dean Who Suspended Conservative Professor Has Contract Renewed
The dean who oversaw the suspension of conservative law professor Scott Gerber recently negotiated a new five-year employment contract at Ohio Northern University (ONU).
Charles Rose III, dean of ONU’s law school, announced his new contract about two months after abruptly suspending Gerber.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Left Does Not Believe in the Rule of Law
The fulminations against the Supreme Court’s recent rulings confirm what I have long suspected: The Left, or at least much of it, just doesn’t believe in the concept of law; for leftists, everything is about doing “the right thing” as they perceive it in any individual case — not following the law.
Read the full story10 States to Sue EPA for Not Updating Wood Stove Emission Standards
Ten states and a regional government clean air agency plan on suing the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly failing to update emission standards for wood-burning stoves, allowing high-emission stoves to still be sold.
The mostly Democratic state attorneys general filed a notice of intent to sue the EPA last week.
Read the full storyMore than a Dozen States Pursuing Rail Safety Measures
Representatives from more than a dozen states are pursuing local measures to help ensure railroad safety.
The actions in Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia are mostly in response to the train derailment along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on Feb. 3.
Read the full story‘The Ultimate Goal is Full Communism:’ Tennessee DSA Members Share Organizing Plan in Secretly Obtained Audio
The Tennessee Star has obtained secret audio and video recording from a June 28 meeting by the far-left Democratic Socialist of America in Middle Tennessee (DS), and its plans to organize in the upcoming weeks and months.
The group is currently working on a campaign called Quilt, which describes Tennessee Republicans as “fascists,” while spewing other typical left-wing melodrama.
Read the full storyJudge Orders Biden Administration to Limit Contact with Social Media Platforms
A Louisiana federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Biden administration to limit its contact with social media platforms, determining that the government likely violated the First Amendment by working to censor disfavored political viewpoints online. Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointed U.S. District Court judge, issued a preliminary injunction barring federal officials and agencies from contacting social media firms to seek the removal of protected speech, Politico reported.
Read the full storyNewt Gingrich Commentary: The Woke Left Are the Means for Decentralized Tyranny in Maoist America
Mao Zedong became one of the last century’s most powerful dictators by completely transforming Chinese society through a systematic use of violence, coercion, and aggressive propaganda. His method was so unique – and ruthlessly effective – it was codified by historians and political scholars as Maoism.
Today, a new kind of Maoism is developing in the American left, and it is a direct threat to the American traditions of individual rights, the rule of law, the Constitution, and personal freedom.
Read the full story‘Nothing But Retaliation:’ IRS Agent Details Adverse Career Impact After Blowing Whistle on Biden
After helping to recover billions in taxpayer funds from tax cheats, IRS agent Gary Shapley was rising in stature and responsibility. He was in line for a big promotion and his plans for a new project to pursue tax evasion around the globe were on the fast tracks.
But all that, he says, came crashing down after he and a fellow agent blew the whistle last October on what they saw as political tampering from the DOJ in a tax evasion case against first son Hunter Biden.
Read the full storyMaricopa County GOP and We the People AZ Throw Happy Birthday America Party with Kari Lake
The Maricopa County Republican Committee held a Happy Birthday Party to America party with the election integrity group We the People AZ featuring Kari Lake and her new book. The book, Unafraid: Just Getting Started, was released on June 27 and The Arizona Sun Times reviewed it here. Almost 200 people RSVP’d for the glitzy event, with tickets starting at $100 each.
Lake gave a speech talking about the book, her election litigation, and plans for Arizona. Attendees received books and had them signed by Lake. Merissa Hamilton, who is heading up a chase the ballot effort for Lake with Save Arizona, registered voters at a table. The hosts provided hot dogs, apple pie, beer, and margaritas.
Read the full storyU.S. Intelligence Warns Americans, U.S. Companies in China About New Espionage Law
The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center is warning American citizens and U.S. companies in China about an expanded counterespionage law that appears to allow its ruling Chinese Community Party greater access and control of their information.
The intelligence agency warned before the law went into effect Saturday that the government has “expanded legal grounds for accessing and controlling data held by U.S. firms in China.”
Read the full storyIndependence Day Cookout Spending to Hit Record High Amid Inflation
Individual spending on Fourth of July food items has risen to $93.34 on average across the U.S., the highest the National Retail Federation (NRF) has recorded since it began collecting this information in 2003.
The cost of one person’s July Fourth foods rose about 10 percent over the past year from $84.12, according to NRF. Inflation remained twice as high as the Federal Reserve’s target in May, according to a Labor Statistics (BLS) report, and the price of energy and food increased 4.0 percent on an annual basis last month.
Read the full storyStudy Finds Use of Contraceptive Pill from Young Age Increases Risk of Depression in Women by up to 130 Percent
A study from the UK finds women who began using the combined contraceptive pill as teenagers increased their risk of depression by 130 percent, while those who began to use the contraceptive in their 20s or older showed a 92 percent increased risk of depressive symptoms.
The population-based cohort study that utilized data from more than 250,000 UK Biobank women was published in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences and online by Cambridge University Press.
Read the full storyGovernor Lee Signs Executive Order Creating ‘Tri-Stars and Stripes’ Council Ahead of Independence Day
Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order on Monday to reconstitute an existing council in order to “position Tennessee to lead the nation as the best state for service members, veterans and their families to thrive.”
Read the full storyChina Implements Export Controls on Key Metals Used for Chips
by Jason Cohen China has implemented export limits on two metals utilized in the manufacturing of computer chips and other valuable technological devices, according to an announcement by the country’s Ministry of Commerce on Monday. The export restrictions on gallium, germanium and their corresponding chemical compounds will officially take effect at the beginning of August, according to the announcement. The controls may increase expenses for hardware producers and exacerbate geopolitical tensions surrounding the competition for groundbreaking computing technology, according to Bloomberg. In addition to computer chips, manufacturers use gallium and germanium for a vast array of devices including solar panels, lasers and night vision goggles, according to Bloomberg. China is the primary producer of these metals based on its portion of worldwide mining and exporters will require a license to export them, according to the announcement. The U.S. also relies on China for medical supply chains and the CEO of U.S. defense contractor Raytheon technologies told the Financial Times it would be impossible to break all ties with China. President Joe Biden’s administration is weighing limits on U.S. exports of artificial intelligence chips to China, The Wall Street Journal reported. Similarly, they would require exporters to have a license. This move would follow measures the Biden administration implemented in October to curb U.S. chip sales to…
Read the full storyBipartisan Effort to Reform FISA, End Abuses Could be Iced by GOP Outrage of Durham Report Findings
Congressional Democrats have joined in bipartisan effort to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amid abuses but GOP outrage over the findings in the Durham Report, including recent calls to impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland over such matters, has likely hurt such efforts.
Congressional reauthorization of FISA is due in December, with particular focus on Section 702 of the law, which permits the government to conduct targeted surveillance on foreign people outside the U.S., with the assistance of electronic communication service providers, to acquire foreign intelligence information.
Read the full storyCommentary: On Independence Day, Remember Why Economic Liberty Matters for America
I’ve often thought there is something providential about the Declaration of Independence being drafted and promulgated throughout the American Colonies the same year that Adam Smith’s book “The Wealth of Nations” was published.
After all, both texts were revolutionary, and both were fundamentally concerned with protecting and promoting liberty.
Read the full storyU.S. Supreme Court Sends Back Ohio Redistricting Case
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ohio’s highest court must reconsider the congressional districting of the state that the Ohio Supreme Court previously ruled unlawful.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a summary judgment, a decision made without listening to oral arguments, reversing the Ohio Supreme Court’s judgment from last July that the congressional districting process unfairly favored the Republican Party.
Read the full storyParent Org Launches Ad Campaign Targeting ‘Anti-Parent’ State Politicians in Virginia
Parents Defending Education (PDE) Action, a nonpartisan policy organization, is launching a $15,000 ad campaign targeting several Virginia Democrats who have spoken out against parental rights in the classroom, the organization told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The two 50-second ads aim to expose Jessica Anderson, a Democratic Virginia House of Delegates candidate, and Democratic State Sen. Monty Mason, for mocking parents who are fighting to have a say in their child’s curriculum and restrict pornography online. The ads, obtained by the DCNF, feature polls that show a majority of parents favor policies that restrict children’s access to social media accounts and give them a say in their child’s curriculum.
Read the full storyNashville Electric Services Continue Work to Restore Power after Weekend Storms Cause Nearly 30,000 Outages
Nashville Electric Services (NES) continued working on restoring power across Music City on Monday after a wave of severe weather swept across the area on Friday and Saturday.
Read the full storyAtlanta’s Fed Chief Raphael Bostic: ‘Pandemic-Related Effects on the Economy Have Not Fully Unwound’
The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta says the cumulative effects of monetary policy adjustments are showing signs of working.
The Federal Open Market Committee recently voted to maintain the 5 percent to 5.25 percent federal funds rate. While the FOMC’s Summary of Economic Projections “are not true forecasts in the statistical sense” or “commitments to follow a particular course of action,” financial market watchers view these projections as indicators of economic conditions, Raphael Bostic, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said.
Read the full storyPoll: Taxes, Cost of Living Driving Away Young Residents from the Keystone State
A new survey suggests the price residents pay to live in Pennsylvania tempts younger generations to move.
Results from the Commonwealth Foundation poll conducted last month show more than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 44 have considered moving to another state – or know someone who wants to do the same.
Read the full story