Day: October 10, 2023

Kari Lake Officially Announces U.S. Senate Race to Packed Crowd of over a Thousand

Rachel Alexander

Kari Lake officially announced her entry into the U.S. Senate race in Arizona Tuesday evening at Jetset Magazine in Scottsdale. Incumbent Kyrsten Sinema, now an independent, is expected to run again, and Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) appears to have the Democratic primary locked up. Lake will face Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican primary. Over a thousand showed up for the event, completely filling the area outside the business. Donald Trump appeared by video to endorse Lake.

Abe Hamadeh, who is still challenging his 280-vote loss to Democrat Kris Mayes in the attorney general’s race, gave a brief speech first. He slammed the politicians concerned more about their “decadent, self-serving cocktail parties,” and in a reference to his previous military experience, said he was ready to be “down in the trenches” with Lake and the campaign.

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Israeli Woman Inbar Lieberman, 25, Is Hailed a Hero for Saving Kibbutz Nir Am from Invading Hamas

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Daily Mail An Israeli woman has been hailed a hero after saving kibbutz Nir Am from Hamas as infiltrating terrorists began to invade. Inbar Lieberman, 25, who is the security coordinator for the village near the Gaza Strip, lead a group of residents to kill more than two dozen advancing terrorists. Lieberman, who has been part of the security detail in the region since December 2022, heard explosions erupting early Saturday when Hamas launched the unprecedented and deadly attack on Israel, according to Walla News. READ THE FULL STORY                  

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Israel Eases Gun Laws to Arm ‘As Many Citizens as Possible’ After Terrorist Attack

Just the News

Israel is easing its gun laws with the goal of arming “as many citizens as possible,” according to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as former U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Gunter is urging Israelis to take up guns in self-defense after the horrific Hamas terror attacks. 

“There’s a great desire of Israelis to protect their homeland,” Gunter told Just the News. “And I think along with that will be an increased desire to have gun ownership.

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Trump Touts Travel Ban on Muslim Countries After Hamas Terrorists Invade Israel

Just the News

Former President Donald Trump touted his travel ban on Muslim-majority countries in a speech in New Hampshire after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel over the weekend, killing more than 900 people, including at least 11 U.S. citizens, in what was the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Trump said Monday during a rally in Wolfeboro, N.H., that people are pouring into the United States across the southern border and, “we have no idea from where they come, the same people in many cases, the same people that just attacked Israel.”

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Appellate Court Upholds Ruling on Tennessee Absentee Ballot Request Distribution Law

Peter D'Abrosca

A court ruling saying that absentee ballot requests in Tennessee can only be distributed by qualified elections officials has been upheld by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. 

In 2020, Tennessee’s Secretary of State Tre Hargett was sued in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by activists including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the AFL-CIO labor union, who claimed that in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, anyone should be able to fill out and return to county election officials an absentee ballot request form on behalf of another person, as long as the form is signed by the would-be absentee voter. 

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House GOP Report: ‘More Than 99 Percent of Illegal Aliens Released’ by Biden Administration Remain in the U.S.

Just the News

More than 99 percent of illegal immigrants released by the Biden Administration from the border between Jan 20, 2021 and Mar 31, 2023 remain in the United States, according to a report released on Monday by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.

“Thanks to relentless efforts by the Committee and its Immigration Subcommittee, Biden’s DHS has finally caved and provided crucial data on the border crisis,” the GOP committee staff wrote on X when announcing the report’s release.

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Schools Spent Millions in COVID Bucks on Educational Software That Was Barely Used

Admin

School districts across the country spent millions in federal relief funds on educational software intended to mitigate pandemic learning loss, but in many cases, much of the technology wasn’t used, according to The Associated Press.

Schools received billions in COVID-19 relief funds from Congress, and tech companies engaged in aggressive marketing to get districts to purchase their products. School districts used these federal funds to enter multi-million dollar contracts for software licenses that often went unused by students, the AP reported. Moreover, some products were found to not be particularly effective.

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Smith & Wesson Cited Support for Second Amendment, Cost of Living as Reasons for Move to Tennessee

Peter D'Abrosca

Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson held a weekend ribbon cutting ceremony at its new $160 million headquarters in Maryville, leaving its former home in Massachusetts behind. 

“From where I stand, the next 170 years of Smith & Wesson are looking pretty good,” said the company’s CEO and President Mark Smith at the ceremony. “It is something special here in Tennessee.”’

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Electric Vehicles Are Costing Auto Manufacturers Billions While Union Strikes Take Their Toll

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by Nick Pope   Electric vehicle (EV) production is costing most American automobile manufacturers billions of dollars, with a range of factors driving their unprofitability as unionized auto workers are striking to demand more from management. Companies like Rivian, Ford and General Motors (GM) are currently losing money on each EV that they sell, while Stellantis appears likely to lose money up front on their EVs when they bring them to market in 2024, according to numerous reports. Rivian has struggled immensely, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the “Big Three” carmakers are facing down the ongoing United Auto Workers (UAW) strike, with the union making demands that threaten to push costs even higher. The UAW is seeking to exact major concessions, with EVs featuring as a key driver of the labor dispute. Prior to the strike, the average UAW worker in Grass Lake, Michigan, made about $45,000 per year, according to data from ZipRecruiter. The UAW is seeking a 36 percent pay bump over the course of a four-year contract, yearly cost-of-living adjustments, restoration of pre-bailout pension benefits for all of its employees, increased protections to ensure job security, limits on the use of temporary workers and a 32-hour work week, according to CBS…

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Haley Talking Tough in Iowa, Says U.S. Needs to Back Ukraine and Israel in Wars Brought by Thugs and Terrorists

M.D. Kittle

Asserting the U.S. must do all it can to help Israel “eliminate” the Hamas-driven terrorism that rocked Israel over the weekend, GOP presidential candidate and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is striking an even more hawkish tone for U.S. involvement in two major theaters of war — Europe and the Middle East.

“I would tell Israel that whatever it is you need to, not just get your country back but to eliminate the terrorists, we should do because Hamas is saying, ‘Death to America,” and it is in our best interest to make sure that they are not doing anything that would harm Americans or harm our friends,” Haley told a smallish gathering of some 75 people Monday afternoon at a town hall event in Central Iowa.

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Georgia Senators File Ethics Complaint Against Fani Willis, Allege She ‘Cherry-Picked’ Cases over Personal Politics

Tom Pappert

Eight Georgia Senators have filed a formal ethics complaint against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, alleging she prioritized cases based on her political ideology. The senators, all Republicans, filed the complaint on October 1 with the new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission.

The complaint, which was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has the support of Republican leadership in the Senate. The senators allege Willis “prioritized cases that align with her political party’s interests,” and ““improperly cherry-picked cases to further her personal political agenda,” according to The Messenger. While the complaint does not name former President Donald Trump, who was indicted by Willis in August, it does reference the 10 detainees who have died this year at Fulton County Jail while awaiting trial.

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Florida Supreme Court Ponders Definition of a Riot in 2021 State Law

The Center Square
2020 George Floyd Riots

The Florida Supreme Court is pondering the definition of a riot related to a law passed in 2021 designed to prevent violent protests like those seen in 2020 after the death of George Floyd.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, Jacksonville/Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams, and Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony were named as defendants in the 2021 lawsuit filed by Dream Defenders and other social justice groups including Black Lives Matter.

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Rep. Eli Crane Leads Three Arizona Republicans in Warning New EPA Rule Will Increase Water Rates

Tom Pappert

Four of Arizona’s congressional Republicans submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday, warning that a new rule about so-called “forever chemicals” will result in higher water rates and legal liability for Arizona businesses.

Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) was joined by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), and Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) in a letter requesting the EPA modify its new rule to keep Arizonan citizens and businesses from bearing “the economic burden of any necessary remediation when they have had no association with water pollution.”

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Pennsylvania Spends $600,000 to Fix Up Recovery Houses

The Center Square

As Pennsylvania invests more taxpayer money into drug addiction treatment, about $600,000 has gone to recovery homes for building upgrades to put them in compliance with state and federal rules.

The commonwealth’s licensed recovery homes – overseen by the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs – give people recovering from addiction a place to live, as well as access to resources like medication-assisted treatment. 

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Commentary: Unemployment Remains Unchanged at 3.8 Percent as Record 11.1 Million Seniors Still Working

Admin

Labor markets appeared buoyed by still-working Baby Boomers in September as the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8 percent, with 296,000 seniors finding jobs in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey.

With more than 11.1 million seniors still working — a national record — peak employment still abounds, even as a massive 47.21 million seniors are no longer in the labor force — also a record — amid the Baby Boomer retirement wave that has seen those 65-years-old-and-older not in the labor force have increased about 19 million the past 25 years.

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Socialist Group Backing Minnesota Dems Condemned for Comments after Hamas Attack on Israel

Admin

The Democratic Socialists of America, a political organization with a growing influence in Minnesota politics, was widely condemned over the weekend when it blamed “Israel’s apartheid regime” for Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state.

The Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) New York City chapter promoted an “All Out for Palestine” protest that took place in Times Square Sunday, just a day after Hamas invaded Israel, targeting civilians, taking women and children hostage, and killing hundreds at a music festival.

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Commentary: State Senator Scott Surovell Should Resign After Blaming Israel for Hamas Terror Attack

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by Shaun Kenney   When Hamas fires rockets, they target Israeli citizens indiscriminately. When the IDF responds, they warn their targets, clear the buildings of civilians by contacting them via cell and warning others… and then fire their rockets. Over the next few weeks, this will be the very real distinction between the good guys and the bad guys in Gaza — and don’t ever forget it. Yet there is a wider question at play here. How long would any American tolerate living as Israelis must from day to day? Why should any Israeli be expected to tolerate that? How many Jewish lives is that worth? Apparently to Democratic State Senator Scott Surovell, about 800. Maybe more. Scott Surovell: RESIGN. There is nothing more despicable than arguing that 800 dead Jews deserved what was coming to them. Yet State Senator Scott Surovell didn’t shy away from precisely that sentiment in the wake of the Hamas attack on civilians yesterday: The division and distraction created by Netanyahu's judicial power grab created created an opportunity for these attacks in the same way House Republicans' civil war creates opportunities for other country's to take advantage American disorganization https://t.co/H7iIEHUtKn — Senator Scott Surovell (@ssurovell) October 8,…

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Virginia Legislative Elections in Dead-Heat: Poll

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In the key battleground state of Virginia, legislative elections appear to be in a dead-heat ahead of November, with Democrats leading Republicans by just one point, according to a Monday survey.

For a generic General Assembly ballot, 45 poll of likely voters supported the Democrats and 44 percent supported the Republicans, with 11 percent of respondents undecided, according to a Founders Insight poll. All of Virginia’s 140 state legislative seats are up for reelection on Nov. 7, and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin hopes to hold the House of Delegates and flip the Senate red.

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Virginia U.S. Rep. Bob Good Laments Pelosi-McCarthy Pact, Betrayal

Neil W. McCabe

The Virginia Republican congressman and House Freedom Caucus member, who was one of the eight House Republicans voting to oust Speaker Kevin O. McCarthy (R.-CA-20) Wednesday told radio show host John Fredericks McCarthy lost his gavel because he trusted Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA.-11).

“We found out the speaker had a deal all along with Nancy Pelosi to save him,” said U.S. Representative Bob Good, one of the diehard Republicans who did not vote for McCarthy for speaker in January.

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Commentary: FAIR and SITE Acts Will Help Tennesseans with Healthcare Costs

Admin

As sensational headlines come across our TV screens, phones and newspapers every day, it’s easy to lose sight of what issues matter most to Americans. This is why it’s more important than ever before that we help our elected leaders avoid the distractions and stay focused on how to help their constituents.

Too many Americans struggle to access quality, affordable health care. The high cost of care can be a difficult burden, especially amidst today’s many political and societal challenges. To put it flatly: the cost of health care is too expensive, and we need more solutions to address it.

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Feds Seize $480,000 Worth of Drugs in Arizona

The Center Square

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized significant amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl at the border in Arizona on Thursday.

The law enforcement agency seized 71 pounds of meth and 63.3 pounds of fentanyl. According to a news release, the meth has a $63,796 value and the fentanyl is valued at $416,150. In total, this was nearly $480,000 in terms of “street value” taken into possession by CBP.

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Commentary: Reflections on Israel’s New Existential War

Admin

There have been plenty of terrorist attacks on Israel. A dozen or so conventional wars of various magnitude have been waged against the Jewish state. And more often there have been mixtures of both.

Yet never have hundreds of gangs of black-clad murderers carefully planned to swarm Israel, with an agenda to pull random Jews out of their homes and off the street, murder them, and toss their bodies in the street.

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New York, California, and Illinois See Incomes Decline for First Time Since 2009

The Center Square

America’s three largest Democratic states, along with Rhode Island, Mississippi, Louisiana and the District of Columbia experienced income declines in the last year while the nation as a whole saw incomes rise by 2%. New York incomes suffered the worst, declining 1.6%, while California incomes declined the least, at just 0.2%. 

These figures come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s revised numbers for 2022, which also reduced national growth from 2.1% to 1.9%, a cut in reported growth of roughly 10%.

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Los Angeles Implements ‘Zero Bail’ System

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The heavily-populated Los Angeles County implemented its own “zero bail” system this week, allowing for most criminals to be released from jail almost immediately after being arrested.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the new policy replaces the previous one requiring defendants to post bail before they could be released, with the bail often set at a certain level depending on the severity of the crime committed. The Left has long advocated against the concept of bail, on the basis that it allegedly results in poorer criminals staying incarcerated.

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Brown University to Start Interrogating Ph.D. Applicants on How They Will Advance ‘Diversity’

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An Ivy League university will now be requiring doctoral applicants to submit a 300-word diversity statement, according to the Brown Daily Herald.

Brown University administrators announced changes to Brown University’s Ph.D. admissions process Tuesday in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling banning race-based admissions, as well as changes to their Title IX policies, according to the Brown Daily Herald. Brown’s new Ph. D. admissions process will now include a diversity statement that questions ways in which applicants will “advance diversity.”

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Commentary: Turns Out The IRS Is After You, After All

Admin

When it was first revealed that the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” provided funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, Biden administration officials told Americans not to worry. They promised at every turn that these agents would only be set upon those earning over $400,000 a year.

But the Act has done nothing to reduce inflation, so it’s hardly surprisingly to learn now that an army of IRS agents has the middle class in its crosshairs.

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