Day: November 3, 2023

Schumer Vows to Kill House-Passed Standalone Bill Providing $14 Billion to Israel

Just the News

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to kill the House-passed bill providing $14.3 billion in aid to Israel in response to the Hamas terrorist attack.

“The Senate will not take up the House GOP’s deeply flawed proposal,” Schumer said on the Senate floor just ahead of the final House vote on Thursday. “Instead we will work together on our own bipartisan emergency aid package that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, competition with the Chinese government, and humanitarian aid for Gaza.”

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Trump Announces Plans to End Funding for Homeless Hotels and Focus on Veterans

The Center Square

Former President Donald Trump said he would end the funding for homeless immigrants in hotels if elected president.

“Under crooked Joe Biden, the U.S. government has spent nearly $1 billion to house illegal aliens and foreign migrants in expensive, luxury hotels courtesy of you, the American taxpayer, and they want to spend billions and billions more,” Trump said in a video message posted on his social media platform. “In many states, we are running out of hotel space because the rooms are all booked up with illegal aliens living in a very large way on the American taxpayers’ dime.”

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DOJ Opens Investigation into New York City Mayor Adams over Foreign Donations

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DNYUZ Federal prosecutors and the F.B.I. are conducting a broad public corruption investigation into whether Mayor Eric Adams’s 2021 election campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations, according to a search warrant obtained by The New York Times. The investigation burst into public view on Thursday when federal agents conducted an early-morning raid at the Brooklyn home of the mayor’s chief fund-raiser, Brianna Suggs. Ms. Suggs is a campaign consultant who is deeply entwined with efforts to advance the mayor’s agenda. Investigators also sought to learn more about the potential involvement of a Brooklyn construction company with ties to Turkey, as well as a small university in Washington, D.C., that also has ties to the country and to Mr. Adams. READ THE FULL STORY

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Judge Cannon Delays Trump Documents Trial

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Julie Kelly / X (Twitter) As expected, Judge Cannon will delay the trial schedule in Jack Smith’s classified documents case against Trump. … The blame lies SOLELY at the feet of DOJ. Jack Smith brought 2 unprecedented federal cases against a former president within two months of each other. He asked for, and was granted, an expedited trial schedule in D.C. Judge Chutkan gave Trump 7 months to prepare for trial – the typical J6 case goes to trial over a year after indictment. The classified docs trial represents major obstacles to defense (Trump and 2 co-defendants) as they attempt to view classified discovery in a Miami SCIF the government just set up on October 18. All attorneys had to obtain security clearances. I'll have a column explaining it all after order is filed. You will see much caterwauling by corporate media types and usual suspects like Weissmann and McQuade how Cannon is doing Trump's bidding. But the blame lies SOLELY at the feet of DOJ. Jack Smith brought 2 unprecedented… — Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) November 3, 2023 DEVELOPING…

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Former Police Officer Pleading Guilty in Tyre Nichols’ Brutal Beating Death Admits to Repeatedly Striking Victim with Baton

M.D. Kittle

The former Memphis Police officer who took a plea deal in the brutal beating death of Tyre Nichols admitted to repeatedly striking the 27-year-old black man, among other criminal conduct, according to court records.

Desmond Mills Jr, 33, one of five former officers charged in the January homicide, on Thursday pleaded guilty to two felony counts against him — offering his full cooperation with prosecutors in exchange for a recommendation that he serve no more than 15 years in federal prison.

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Private Employers Hire 113,000 New Workers in October; Pay Growth Slows

The Center Square

U.S. private employers grew their payrolls by 113,000 workers in October versus September’s 89,000 new hires, a month-over increase of 21%, according to the October ADP National Employment Report, a collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. 

“No single industry dominated hiring this month, and big post-pandemic pay increases seem to be behind us,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist, said in a statement. “In all, October’s numbers paint a well-rounded jobs picture. And while the labor market has slowed, it’s still enough to support strong consumer spending.”

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University of Tennessee Admits Professor Made Antisemitic Comments in Class

Tom Pappert

The University of Tennessee (UT) admitted in a statement on Wednesday night that one of its professors made antisemitic comments during a classroom lecture, but said it could not go into details out of respect for the students’ privacy.

In a statement, UT Director of News and Information Tyra Hagg distributed to the media late Wednesday, the university claimed it “has addressed concerns about a class lecture that included several comments” which fall under the “working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance” in 2016.

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Tennessee Settles Lawsuit from Former Health Official Who Reportedly Bought Dog Muzzle to Protest Firing

Tom Pappert

A legal settlement reached by the State of Tennessee and a former health official that requires both parties to cease discussing the terms of her firing became public on Thursday, likely signaling the end to a legal drama that began when former Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) official Michelle Fiscus was fired in 2021.

After Fiscus was terminated from her position directing the agency’s Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization program, she quickly gained national attention after claiming she was fired due to her advocacy for the mature minor doctrine, which accepts that minor children can make some health decisions without parental involvement.

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U.S. Rep. Mark Green Subpoenas Alejandro Mayorkas in Investigation into Afghan Evacuee Screening, Vetting

Kaitlin Housler

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN-07) issued a subpoena on Tuesday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for its failure to provide “satisfactory documents and other materials relevant to the Committee’s May 2023 request for more information on the vetting and screening of Afghan evacuees entering the United States since 2021.”

Following the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the committee sent two letters to the DHS requesting information on the event; however, both letters were met with “insufficient responses” from the Biden administration, according to the committee.

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China’s Low Standards, Tariffs, Forced Labor Threaten U.S. Food Security, Agribusiness Experts Say

Just the News

American grocery shelves are rapidly filling up with cheap canned food imported from China, displacing American producers’ goods and raising concerns about food safety and food security, U.S. trade associations and experts are saying.

According to the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), a trade association supporting manufacturers of cans for both food and non-food items and their suppliers, American producers are at a disadvantage because they have to pay U.S. steel tariffs, which do not extend to finished Chinese-produced canned foods.

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‘It’s Coming’: Florida GOP Elected Officials to Turn on DeSantis, Endorse Trump: Report

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Republican elected officials in Florida are expected to flip their endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis to former President Donald Trump next week, NBC News reported Wednesday.

After DeSantis received the backing of 99 state legislators, allies of the former president have orchestrated an effort in the state to switch them to Trump, two sources familiar told NBC News. As many as six of the state’s GOP elected officials will likely announce their support for Trump as early as next week after the Florida Freedom Summit Saturday and amid the third GOP presidential debate Wednesday in Miami, which the former president is skipping to hold a rally in the state.

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Longtime Minnesota Union Member to Run as a Republican Against DFLer Dave Lislegard

Admin

A third-generation miner and union member from Virginia has said he will run as a Republican to unseat three-term DFLer Dave Lislegard in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Cal Warwas says he wants to represent District 7B at the State Capitol because he believes the “the DFL Trifecta, led by Twin Cities legislators, has advanced an agenda that is way out-of-step with Range values and priorities.”

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Poll Reportedly Shows Sen. Sinema Losing Re-Election Despite ‘Pulling Votes from Lake’ in 3-Way Contest

Tom Pappert

A new survey reportedly conducted last month was revealed Monday, and suggests Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is polling in third place against Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) and former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, despite apparently pulling a significant number of Republican voters.

The poll was commissioned by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and obtained by Puck News. The poll allegedly shows Gallego in first place with the support of 41 percent of Arizona voters and Lake in second place with 37 percent. Sinema finished in a distant third place, with the support of just 17 percent of Arizonans.

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Former Biden New Hampshire Co-Chair Backs Phillips in Primary

Admin

Former New Hampshire Speaker of the House Steve Shurtleff (D-Penacook), who co-chaired Joe Biden’s 2020 Granite State campaign, announced Tuesday he’s endorsing Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) in the First in the Nation primary.

“Because of the New Hampshire primary, that is my prime reason for supporting the congressman,” Shurtleff told WGIR radio host Chris Ryan. “For 100 years now, we’ve done the New Hampshire primary right.”

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Michigan Senate OKs Financial Disclosure

The Center Square

The Michigan Senate passed financial disclosure bills voters approved in November 2022 through Proposal 1 to expose conflicts of interest but one lawmaker says the rules are all “smoke and mirrors.”

Senate Bills 613, 614, 615, and 616 aim to require lawmakers and candidates for public office to disclose assets and income above certain thresholds. The bills seek to require candidates and officeholders to disclose their spouse’s employment, including their status as a registered lobbyist.

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Commentary: The Left Ramps Up the Supreme Court Intimidation Campaign

Admin

The Left’s campaign of vilification and intimidation to try to control the Supreme Court is a saga with a number of shameful chapters dating back to the smearing of Robert Bork in 1987. Their game plan is simple: defeat originalist nominees to the Court by whatever illegitimate attacks can be conjured up. Failing that, bully and delegitimize the Supreme Court justices who are not deciding cases with the policy-driven activism that is the hallmark of the modern Left. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has made this his mission.

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Fulton County Sheriff Admits Inmate Welfare Fund Spent on Gift Cards, Giveaways amid ‘Slush Fund’ Accusation

Tom Pappert

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat admitted in a Wednesday meeting of the Fulton County Commission that his office incorrectly spent money from Fulton County Jail’s Inmate Welfare Fund on items that have nothing to do with detainees, including on turkey giveaways, gift cards, party materials, and new vehicles.

Labat confirmed the report by WSB-TV that revealed his office spent more than $1 million earmarked for Fulton County Jail inmates on seemingly frivolous items, including bounce houses, disc jockeys, jugglers, florists, gift cards, and a $500 Thanksgiving giveaway. Labat said he fired two employees and launched an internal audit over the expenditures.

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Tong and 18 Other Attorneys General Oppose Opt-Out Option from LGBTQ+ Books for Second Graders

The Center Square

 A coalition of 19 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in support of a local Maryland board of education’s policy that does not allow parents to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ inclusive texts. The lawsuit was filed by three families against the Montgomery County Board of Education, with two of the three families suing on behalf of policies for their second grade children, while the third did not list the grade level of its elementary school children. The parents, who are Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox, filed their lawsuit on religious freedom grounds. 

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Virginia Students Walk Out over Continuing Policy of Allowing Biological Males in Girl’s Bathrooms

Just the News

High school students in a northern Virginia County on Wednesday protested a school policy that allows biological males in girl’s locker rooms and restrooms.

The protest occurred in Loudoun County, which in recent years has become a focal point over school policies regarding transgender students and the transparency of those policies.

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University of Pennsylvania Took Money from School That Settled with U.S. Gov’t over Alleged Hezbollah Ties

Admin

The University of Pennsylvania, which hosts the Penn Biden Center, took hundreds of thousands of dollars from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2022, roughly five years after AUB paid a settlement to the United States government in connection with its alleged ties to Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terror organization.

UPenn received $474,947 from AUB in 2022, with the donations earmarked as “Education/Tuition/Scholarship,” according to a 2021-2022 foreign gift disclosure obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. AUB settled a lawsuit with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, paying $700,000 and promising to revise its policies, following a suit alleging the university assisted organizations linked to Hezbollah, Reuters reported.

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Bar Disciplinary Trial Wraps Up Against Former Maricopa County Prosecutor Who Charged Antifa Demonstrators at Violent Protest in Phoenix

Rachel Alexander

The disciplinary court of the State Bar of Arizona wrapped up a trial a few days ago against April Sponsel, a former longtime prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO), related to gang charges she brought against Antifa and others arrested in October 2020 for rioting in downtown Phoenix. Bar prosecutors claimed she overcharged the rioters by using gang statutes, including bringing charges against a man who claimed he was just an observer taking photos, Ryder Collins. The Arizona bar seeks to suspend her license to practice law for two years. 

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Republican Governors Say CMS Staffing Rule Would Close Nursing Homes

The Center Square

A proposed long-term care staffing rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would not improve care but would force nursing homes to close, 14 Republican governors said in a letter to CMS.

The rule changes would require long-term care facilities to conduct a facility assessment that includes a staffing plan within 60 days of the rule’s implementation. The second phase of the rule mandates a registered nurse must be onsite 24 hours a day.

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Biden Admin Collaborates with Left-Wing Donors Bankrolling Censorship in AI ‘Safety’ Initiative

Admin

President Joe Biden’s administration is enlisting left-leaning philanthropies that have supported efforts to suppress content online as part of an initiative to advance the administration’s priorities in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Ten largely liberal organizations, featuring George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and Pierre Omidyar’s Omidyar Network and Democracy Fund, are allocating $200 million collectively to help promote the administration’s AI agenda, according to the White House fact sheet detailing the project. However, these same organizations have funded groups who have worked to censor and demonetize conservative content online.

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Commentary: Women in Swing States Could Cause Problems for Biden in 2024

Admin

President Biden continues to trail across the country singing the virtues of “Bidenomics”, but voters aren’t buying it – especially female voters in highly contested battleground states that will play an outsized role in 2024.

Biden won women by a wide fifteen-percentage-point margin in 2020, but new polling shows he is suffering double-digit losses with women across key battleground states, and the economy, rising crime, inaction on the border, and foreign policy all play a role.

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Texas Sets Stage for Constitutional Struggle with Biden Admin over Border Protection

Admin

A Texas bill that makes it a state crime to cross the border at any location besides a port of entry could set up Texas’ next legal fight with the Biden administration.

The Texas House voted on a border security package Thursday, approving 84-60 a bill that enables local police to arrest or send back illegal migrants who cross the border. If passed by the Senate and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, it could set up another big fight with the Biden administration over the border.

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