Month: September 2023

Innovation Hyper-Focused in Philly, Pittsburgh, State College

The Center Square

Pennsylvania could become a national leader in innovation — if the support is there and state leaders embrace reform.

“Innovation matters so much to economic performance, yet the state’s innovation drift is resulting in a broader economic drift,” Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Mark Muro told legislators Friday at a Senate Majority Policy Committee hearing on innovation. “We’re really challenging the state to, above all, commit to innovation…the state needs to try harder on this front. We think you could win — if you actually tried harder.”

Read the full story

Michigan Auto Worker: Want to Be Able to Afford the Vehicles We Build

The Center Square

United Auto Workers striking along Michigan Avenue outside the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne since midnight want to be able to afford the vehicles they assemble.

The UAW went on strike against Ford, Stellantis and General Motors at select factories around midnight. Brandon Bell, who’s worked at the Ford plant for three years, said workers need boosted pay and benefits. 

Read the full story

Commentary: A Mother’s COVID Regret

Admin

One of the most alarming aspects of the new COVID-centric regime is how people have been deprived of the truth regarding potential harms of the COVID-19 vaccines and how citizens have been forced to get the vaccine due to bullying from medical authorities, the government, or an employer.

When the medical decision to get the jab, whether well-informed or not, is that of a parent making the choice for a child, such a potentially life-altering move might devastate two people, not just one patient. Good parents always want to do the best for their children, and making a medical decision for your child that might have terrible consequences is scary to consider.

Read the full story

New Mexico Gov. Partially Reverses Gun Ban, Narrows Scope to Parks and Playgrounds

Admin

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday amended an order banning gun possession that was restrained by a federal judge, seeking to narrow its focus to certain areas, according to an announcement on social media.

Grisham’s initial order, announced on Sept. 8, banned the possession of firearms outside private property in the city of Albuquerque and its encompassing Bernalillo County after declaring gun violence a public health emergency, which prompted widespread condemnation, including from gun control advocates. On Friday, Grisham wrote she would be narrowing the scope of the order to public parks and places where children gather, according to a post on Twitter, now known as X.

Read the full story

Georgia Election Integrity Expert Confounds Bar Attorney in Disbarment Trial of Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman

Rachel Alexander

The fifth week of the disbarment trial of former President Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, ended on Friday, featuring more testimony by Garland Favorito, co-founder of Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia (VoterGA). Favorito, a retired IT professional with extensive experience with electronic voting machines and investigating election fraud in Georgia, underwent cross-examination by State Bar of California attorney Duncan Carling, frequently thwarting his questions.

Read the full story

Jack Smith Wants a Gag Order Against Donald Trump in January 6 Case

Just the News

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a judge to issue a gag order to former President Donald Trump in his Jan. 6 case to prevent him from publicly attacking major figures in the case.

“The defendant’s past conduct, including conduct that has taken place after and as a direct result of the indictment in this case, amply demonstrates the need for this order,” reads a filing from prosecutors that Politico obtained.

Read the full story

Autoworkers Strike Imperils ‘Union Joe’ Biden’s 2024 Election Prospects

Admin

President Joe Biden may face headwinds in his 2024 reelection bid following his inability to prevent workers at the three biggest American auto manufacturers from striking, according to Politico.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) announced a strike Thursday night against the Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — saying that members would not be showing up to three plants on Friday, but stopping short of calling for all 146,000 unionized autoworkers to cease operations. Some have begun to place blame on the president for failing to help in negotiations, souring the president’s desired image of being “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen,” according to Politico.

Read the full story

Quinnipiac Poll: Trump Holds 50-Point Lead over GOP Field

Admin

The latest poll for the 2024 presidential election shows former President Donald Trump with one of his most commanding leads yet over the rest of the GOP primary field, and a statistical tie with Joe Biden for the general election.

As CNBC reports, the poll from Quinnipiac University reveals that 62% of Republican primary voters support Trump. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is in a distant second place with just 12%, the only other candidate to score double digits. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (R-Ohio) is in third with 6%, while former Vice President Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) are tied with 5% each. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has just 3% support, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) rounds out the primary field with 2%.

Read the full story

Tennessee Congressman Ogles Joins Fight Against Biden Administration Attempt to Keep Hunting and Archery Programs Out of Schools

Hannah Poling

U.S. Congressman Andy Ogels (R-TN-05) joined U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) in introducing legislation on Thursday to fight back against the Biden Administration’s attempt to keep hunting and archery programs out of schools.

This follows the Biden Administration recently announcing their plan to withhold funding from schools that provide these programs claiming that under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) passed last year, school hunting and archery classes are precluded from receiving federal funding.

Read the full story

Philly City Council Bans Supervised Injection Sites for Drug Use

The Center Square

After a raucous public comment period, Philadelphia City Council moved to ban supervised injection sites for narcotics across most of the city.

Council voted 13-1 vote on Bill #230410 to ban any site that “that provides space for any person to inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the person’s body an unprescribed controlled substance” in all but West Philadelphia’s District 3.

Read the full story

Majority of Georgia Voters Say Trump Prosecution Unfair, Support Special Session to Reign in Fulton County

Tom Pappert

A majority of Georgia voters now believe the Fulton County criminal case against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election is “unfair,” according to new polling by Rasmussen Reports. Georgia voters also support a special session in the Georgia Legislature to defund or impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

The majority of Georgia voters believe Trump is being unfairly prosecuted, with 56 percent of respondents to Rasmussen agreeing, including 39 percent who said it was “very likely.” This is compared with just 37 percent of voters who said it was unlikely Trump was being unfairly prosecuted.

Read the full story

Connecticut Health Exchange Plans to Rise by 9.4 Percent

The Center Square

The cost of health insurance plans offered through Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act Exchange will increase next year by nearly double digits, state insurance regulators said.  

The Connecticut Insurance Department has approved a 9.4% proposed rate increase for health insurers for plans available on and off Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange.

Read the full story

Commentary: Another Whitmer Fednapping Case Goes Boom

Julie Kelly

In another blow to the FBI’s concocted plot to kidnap and assassinate Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, a jury in Antrim County today acquitted three men indicted on state charges for their alleged role in the scheme.

Michael and William Null, twin brothers, and Eric Molitor were found not guilty of providing material support for an act of terrorism and unlawful possession of firearms. Jurors began deliberations Thursday afternoon following a 14-day trial before Judge Charles Hamlyn.

Read the full story

Wisconsin State Senate Votes to Sack Controversial Elections Regulator, Overrides Evers’ Tax Cut Veto

M.D. Kittle

Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled state Senate on Thursday rejected Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe’s nomination to serve another four-year term, a move that normally would end the controversial regulator’s tenure in office.

But liberals are already challenging the Senate’s overwhelming vote to fire Wolfe, and the bureaucrat has defiantly said she’s not going anywhere.

Read the full story

Arizona Officials Share Outcry in Mass Release of Migrants

The Center Square

Counties in Southern Arizona have seen a sudden influx of busloads filled with processed asylum-seeking immigrants released into towns, and local officials are calling for answers.

County sheriffs began alerting the public this week to the increased number of migrant releases, which indicate a surge of immigrants seeking entry into the U.S. larger than federal facilities and local nonprofits can contain.

Read the full story

Florida City Councilman Faces Recall Petition

The Center Square

Ballotpedia tracked one new recall effort against a local official in Florida from Sept. 4 through Sept. 10, bringing the yearly statewide total to six efforts against five officials. The most recent effort is: Henry Rosenthal recall, Islamorada, Florida (2023): Seat 4 Village Councilman. 

Recall organizers accused Rosenthal of malfeasance, alleging that he asked the village’s planning director to ask the rest of the council how they planned to vote on an amendment he needed for a project to open a theater and entertainment venue in the village, which violated multiple Florida laws.

Read the full story

Last Three Men Acquitted in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Chock-Full Of FBI Meddling

Admin

The final three men on trial for a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were found not guilty Friday, according to ABC News.

Fourteen men were charged over the plot to kidnap the governor from her Antrim County vacation home in 2020. Eric Molitor, along with twin brothers William Null and Michael Null, were found not guilty on all charges by a jury Friday after a three-week trial, ABC News reported.

Read the full story

Commentary: Virginia Is for Lover and Voyeurs

Admin

Ophelia has given herself to Hamlet. Yet having placed her trust totally in men — her father, her brother, her lover — she is told by her beloved to remove herself to a nunnery. Or in the context of the Elizabethan age? A brothel — thus exchanging the ideas of nobility and love for pure utility and momentary pleasure.

Realizing the world for what it is — or at least, the world of Hamlet, Laertes, and Polonius — drives Ophelia insane. Having relied upon a branch made of willow, she drowns in a shallow pool, able yet unwilling to save herself and face such a world.

Read the full story

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis Announces $2.5 Million Federal Grant to Examine Backlog of 4,300 Rape Kits

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has received a $2.5 million federal grant for her office to examine a backlog of more than 4,000 rape kits, with some dating back to the 1980s, she revealed in a press conference this week.

Willis announced the $2.5 million grant in a press conference on Thursday, when she said the funding will support testing for the rape kits of “4,342 victims” who “had the very worst day of their life” but “didn’t get justice” from Fulton County.

Read the full story

Commentary: The Reason Most College Professors Lean Left

Admin

Studies have consistently shown a pronounced left-leaning political inclination among college professors. For example, a Harvard University survey last year revealed that of the 476 faculty members who responded, around 80 percent identified as “liberal” or “very liberal.” Meanwhile, 16.8 percent considered themselves “moderate,” a mere 1.46 percent identified as “conservative,” and none claimed to be “very conservative.”

Read the full story

Justice Alito Temporarily Lifts Ban on Biden Admin Contact with Social Media

Just the News

Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday temporarily blocked an order limiting the Biden administration’s contact with social media firms as litigation proceeds.

Alito’s stay will last until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 22, the Washington Examiner reported. The Department of Justice has asked the Supreme Court to lift the order from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Missouri v. Biden. That decision largely upheld a lower court order barring the government from working with social media companies to censor disfavored viewpoints online. Litigants have until Sept. 20 to file responses to the DOJ.

Read the full story

Judge Bans California School District from Muzzling Teachers on Students’ Gender Transitions

Admin

A federal judge best known for overturning California’s decades-old assault-weapons ban in 2021, a decision immediately stayed by the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals but returned to his court for reconsideration by the Supreme Court, is now making waves on schools, free speech and gender identity.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a preliminary injunction that prevents California’s Escondido Union School District from enforcing its gender identity disclosure policy against teachers Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West or taking “adverse employment actions” against them.

Read the full story

Pipeline Problems Could Cut Off Nation’s 100-Year Gas Supply

The Center Square

 A recent analysis determined the United States sits on a century’s worth of gas supply, but industry experts warn there aren’t enough pipelines to access it.

The report from the Potential Gas Committee, part of the Colorado School of Mines, found that the country had technically recoverable gas resources of 3,353 trillion cubic feet, a 0.5% decrease from its 2020 estimate.

Read the full story

Travis Tritt Releases Country Chapel

Bethany Bowman

Travis Tritt released his first-ever gospel project, Country Chapel, on Friday, a record that was more than three decades in the making. Comprised of original songs informed by his childhood roots along with several favorite gospel covers, Tritt brings new life to these touching tunes which are sure to please the country and gospel fans alike.

The album was produced by Dave Cobb and released by the Gaither Music Group. Tritt filmed a segment at the Lovelace Barn with the talented Gaither band, where he shared the sentiments behind several of the songs.

Read the full story

Special Counsel’s Office Obtained 32 Direct Messages from Trump’s Twitter Account

Admin

NBC News The social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, turned over 32 direct messages from former President Donald Trump’s account on the platform to special counsel Jack Smith’s office, according to court filing unsealed Friday. Prosecutors from the special counsel’s office revealed the number of messages in a memo filed before a D.C. federal appeals court earlier this year, according to the filing. The social media company was forced to turn over the records after receiving a search warrant in January from Smith’s office. Smith’s office filed the memo after Twitter appealed a lower court’s decision that forced the company to comply with the search warrant and an accompanying order that barred Twitter from informing Trump or his lawyers about the warrant. READ THE FULL STORY                   

Read the full story

Testimony from Georgia Election Integrity Expert Continues in Disbarment Trial of Trump’s Attorney John Eastman

Rachel Alexander

The fifth week of the disbarment trial of former President Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, is winding down with direct and cross-examination of Garland Favorito, co-founder of Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia (VoterGA), who has extensive experience with electronic voting machines and investigating election fraud in Georgia. The State Bar of Georgia is trying to prove that Eastman gave Trump advice when he suggested that one option after the 2020 presidential election would be to have Vice President Mike Pence refuse to accept electoral slates from states suspected of election fraud or delay the certification.

Read the full story

Sources: Tennessee Republican National Committeeman Oscar Brock Working with Challenger to Congressman Andy Ogles

Hannah Poling

Sources told The Tennessee Star that Tennessee Republican National Committeeman Oscar Brock is helping Geoffrey Stokes Nielson in his campaign to challenge incumbent Republican Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the 2024 GOP primary election.

Ogles has served as the U.S. Representative for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District since 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before his election to Congress, he served as the mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, from 2018 until 2022.

Read the full story

Watchdog: 177,000 Illegal Aliens Released into the U.S. with Missing, Faulty Addresses

Admin

Fox News reports that the internal watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) found that nearly 200,000 illegal aliens were released from custody after giving false addresses.

The audit by the DHS’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) determined that Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers did not always record and verify the addresses given by illegal aliens prior to their release, only discovering the discrepancies after the illegals had left custody. The 177,000 invalid addresses were found during a review of 981,671 illegal alien records from March of 2021 to August of 2022; of those 177,000, at least 54,000 addresses were simply left blank.

Read the full story

United Auto Workers Plans Strikes at Detroit Big Three Vehicle Manufacturers

Just the News

The United Automobile Workers union is preparing to strike at Detroit’s Big Three vehicle manufacturers as contract negotiations remain strained ahead of the deadline just before midnight Thursday.

Union President Shawn Fain said Wednesday that General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, formerly known as Chrysler, increased initial wage offers while rejecting some other demands, The Associated Press reported.

Read the full story

Anti-Catholic, Queer Nuns Apologize After Former ‘Probationary’ Member Arrested for Masturbating in Public

Admin

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), a group of queer “nuns” that regularly mock the Catholic faith, offered their “profound apologies” after a former “probationary” member was arrested in August for masturbating in public.

Clinton Monroe Ellis-Gilmore allegedly exposed himself on Aug. 12 in his truck with the door open, where the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department in California found him and arrested him, according to a police report obtained by The Daily Wire. Ellis-Gilmore was formerly a member of SPI’s Eureka chapter, who told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the behavior was “not representative of our Order, our values, or the hundreds of individuals who serve as Sisters,” according to a prepared statement.

Read the full story

X-Rated Cam-Girl Running for Assembly a Religious Studies Major

Neil W. McCabe

The Virginia Democratic General Assembly candidate, who starred as a cam-girl with her husband, performing sex acts and soliciting viewers to send her money, was a religious studies major at the University of Virginia.

Susanna Gibson, who uses her maiden name professionally, is described here as a member of Glen Allen’s Virginia Weight & Wellness:

Susanna Payne grew up in Charlottesville, VA, and attended the University of Virginia, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Religious Studies. She then went on to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Columbia University in New York, before receiving her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Virginia.

Read the full story

Gov. Lee: Tennessee Won’t Implement New Mask or COVID Vaccine Mandates

Peter D'Abrosca

As some entities begin to bring back COVID-19 mask mandates, and while the federal government is pushing a new version of the COVID-19 vaccine, Tennessee’s governor said there will be no further mandates in the Volunteer State.

“We learned in the last one the government does not need to tell people how to live their lives with regard to their personal health,” Gov. Bill Lee (R) said Wednesday. “Those are decisions they need to make, and that’s the way it will be going forward.”

Read the full story

Arizona Senate Committee Rejects Gov. Hobbs’ Nominee for Housing Department, Cites ‘Systemic’ Plagiarism

Tom Pappert

An Arizona State Senate panel rejected the nomination of Joan Serviss to run the Arizona Department of Housing in a 3-2 vote on Thursday, with Republican senators highlighting alleged “systemic” plagiarism by Serviss in letters she wrote to the federal government while working in advocacy. Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) provided three examples in which Serviss, nominated by Governor Katie Hobbs (D) to run the Arizona Department of Housing, appeared to blatantly plagiarize advocacy groups and the media while running the Arizona Housing Coalition. After Serviss offered opening remarks and received questioning from State Senators Lela Alston (D-Phoenix), Flavio Bravo (D-Phoenix), Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson), and T.J. Shope (R-Florence), Hoffman referenced a letter sent by Serviss in her former position at the Arizona Housing Coalition, a group she boasted of shepherding from one to 10 employees. That letter contained six paragraphs, five of which Hoffman claimed were directly plagiarized from two other advocacy groups, one being non-profit supporting food banks in Washington state. “It appears you copied and pasted without attribution,” said Hoffman, adding that “the only changes were minimal at best, and stylistic.” He questioned if Serviss considered her letter to be an example of plagiarism. Rather than…

Read the full story

RFK Jr. Rips DNC in Letter Before Delegate Procedure Vote, Says DNC Has ‘Hijacked the Party Leadership’

M.D. Kittle

The Democratic Party has succumbed to the “siren of control,” according to a letter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. penned to the Democratic National Committee ahead of its controversial meeting that was expected to decide delegate procedures for the 2024 primary elections.

The Kennedy family scion running for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, spares no feelings in calling out the party of his famous father and uncle for losing its way.

Read the full story

GOP Presidential Hopeful Tim Scott Unveils Economic Plan Ahead of Campaign Trip to Hawkeye State

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Senator and Republican presidential hopeful Tim Scott is unveiling his “Build, Don’t Borrow” economic plan as he prepares for another campaign trip to Iowa.

Scott says his proposal targets runaway government spending, while cutting taxes, expanding jobs and “unleashing American manufacturing and energy production” with his Made in America agenda.

Read the full story

Ohio Redistricting Commission at Standstill over Inability to Pick Co-Chairs

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Redistricting Commission is currently at a standstill because Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) cannot agree on who should co-chair the committee.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine officially reconvened the Ohio Redistricting Commission on Wednesday to begin the process of drawing new state legislative maps.

Read the full story

New Hampshire Secretary of State Scanlan: State Law Says Trump Will Be on Ballot

Admin

Mountains of legal briefs and hours of political debate have been generated by the debate over whether the 14th Amendment will keep former President Donald Trump off the New Hampshire ballot in the First in the Nation primary. But for Secretary of State David Scanlan, the issue was resolved with a single sentence.

Trump is on the ballot because New Hampshire state law says so.

Read the full story

Political Consultants with Minnesota DFL Ties Form New Organization to Support School Board Candidates

Admin

A new organization fronted by two Democrat-allied political consultants has entered the battleground for political control of school boards holding elections this fall.

The Minneapolis-based School Board Integrity Project was officially formed in May. Its mission, according to its website, is to help “guide potential and registered candidates and incumbents who align with our principles and equip them with the tools they need in their ‘campaign toolboxes’ in order to run successful school board campaigns.”

Read the full story