Miss Maryland Crowns First Transgender Winner: ‘I Knew It Would Mean a Lot for All the LGBTQ Kids Out There’

Breitbart The Miss Maryland USA beauty pageant has crowned its first-ever transgender winner, with contestant Bailey Anne Kennedy taking the top prize this week. Bailey Anne Kennedy — a biological male who identifies as a woman — will go on to compete in the Miss USA competition set for August 4 in Los Angeles. In addition to being Miss Maryland’s first trans winner, Kennedy is also the first military officer’s wife to win the crown. This has been a “whirlwind because I knew it was bigger than me,” Kennedy told local news station WDCW. “I knew that it was going to mean a lot for all the LGBTQ kids out there who might feel like they don’t belong in a box — like me growing up.” READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Mortgage Rates Dip Below 7 Percent as Optimism Grows Around Fed Cut

Axios The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell back under 7% this week, per Freddie Mac. The dip is a reflection of renewed optimism that the Federal Reserve will cut rates. But rates are still very high, a continuing turn-off for would-be buyers. Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds, which are tied to mortgage rates, dipped this week in the wake of what Axios’ Neil Irwin calls “a drumbeat of data points” that seem to show the economy is cooling. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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NATO Preparing for Potential Ground War with Russia — Including Plans for U.S. Troop Involvement

New York Post NATO is mapping out “land corridors” to enable US troops and other allied forces to reach the front lines quicker in the event of a broader European ground war with Russia. The move follows warnings from NATO leaders earlier this year urging Western governments to prepare themselves for a full-blown war with Russia sometime in the next 20 years. The newly established troop expressways would see American soldiers landing at one of five designated ports. READ THE FULL STORY            

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Declared Herself ‘Most Unhappy Boy Alive’ in Recovered Journal

Audrey Hale

Covenant School killer Audrey Hale, who was born a biological female but identified as a transgender male during her March 27, 2023 attack, described herself as the “most unhappy boy alive” in a journal police recovered from her vehicle.

The Tennessee Star reported on Wednesday it obtained dozens of pages from the journal Hale brought with her to the Covenant School from a source close to the investigation. In this entry, Hale described struggling with gender identity.

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Alleged Cyberstalker McKenzie McClure Ordered to ‘Open-Door’ Psychiatric Center in East Tennessee

McKenzie McClure, Pasaenda Villa

The mental health facility alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure was ordered to be released to on Monday to an “open-door” psychiatric treatment center in East Tennessee.

Pasadena Villa in Sevierville, Tennessee, houses patients who voluntarily stay there, according to testimony by Admissions Coordinator Sabina Shakoor. Personnel cannot force patients to stay, and patients have left the facility voluntarily in the past, she continued.

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Claimed to Call Suicide Prevention Helpline Five Times, Denied Being ‘Bi-Polar’ in Journal Entry

Person on Phone

Covenant School killer Audrey Hale wrote in a journal, recovered from her vehicle after the attack, that she was accused of being “bi-polar” and called a number listed online as the National Suicide Prevention Helpline five times just over two months before the shooting.

The Tennessee Star confirmed on Wednesday it has about 80 pages of Hale’s writings from her journal, which were obtained from a source close to the Covenant investigation. In this journal entry, dated January 16, 2023, Hale also expressed concerns about losing her possessions after her death.

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MNPD Learned on Day of Covenant Shooting Audrey Hale Had Been Treated by Vanderbilt Psychiatric for 22 Years from 2001 Until Her 2023 Death

Covenant School Shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale

Metro Nashville Police Department learned Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was a 22-year patient of mental health professionals at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) on March 27, 2023, the same day she orchestrated her devastating attack that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old students and three adults working at the school.

The Tennessee Star obtained the June 1, 2023 affidavit filed by an MNPD detective to obtain a search warrant for VUMC from a source familiar with the Covenant investigation.

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Thousands Attend Town Hall in Phoenix to Hear Discuss Chasing the Vote, Rigged Elections, and Illegal Immigration

Thousands of people turned out for a town hall put on by Turning Point USA with former President Donald Trump Thursday afternoon at Dream City Church in north Phoenix. Trump and Turning Point CEO Charlie Kirk were the sole speakers at the “Chase the Vote” event, urging patriots to make the 2024 election “too big to rig.” The rest of the event focused heavily on illegal immigration, highly critical of the Biden administration’s record. 

Trump’s last visit to the state was 18 months ago. According to one attendee who arrived at 8 a.m., there were over 4,000 people in line at that time. The temperature got up to 108 degrees, and there were vendors with water and drinks sprinkled throughout the church property. The event officially began at 2 p.m., but Kirk came out a little after noon and spoke in advance of Trump’s 2 p.m. speech. The crowd held up signs with Trump’s mugshot on them. 

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Trump’s VP Search Heats Up as Campaign Reportedly Requests Documents from Burgum, Vance, and Rubio

Senator Marco Rubio, Gov. Doug Burgum, and Senator JD Vance in front of an American Flag (composite image)

“Gov. Burgum from North Dakota has been incredible. Marco Rubio has been great. J.D. Vance has been great. We’ve had so many great people out there,” Trump says

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is starting to formally request information from possible running mates including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sens. Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance.

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Covenant Killer Audrey Hale Used Federal Pell Grant Funds to Buy Guns She Used in March 2023 Mass Shooting at Christian School

Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale reportedly used funds from a federal Pell grant to buy the guns she used to perpetrate a mass shooting in March, 2023.

99.7 WTN afternoon radio host Brian Wilson reported Wednesday that Hale “took money from an education grant she received to purchase her weapons and to pay for training at a local gun range.”

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Maryland County Walks Back Sanctuary Policy After Illegal Immigrant Child Sex Offender Released into Community

Raul Calderon-Interiano

Leaders in a deep blue jurisdiction are agreeing to better coordinate with federal immigration authorities after their county detention center released an illegal immigrant child sex offender from its custody, according to local reports.

In a joint statement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Baltimore County officials on Wednesday announced modifications to their policies on holding illegal immigrants charged with a crime when they are subject to immigration detainer requests, the Baltimore Sun reported. The statement follows uproar over the local release of Raul Calderon-Interiano, a Guatemalan national convicted of child sex abuse and living illegally in the U.S.

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Senate Democrats Sought to Connect Climate Change to High Insurance Rates, but Experts Pushed Back

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

A Democratic Party-led Senate Budget Committee hearing Wednesday pressed on with the narrative that climate change is one of the leading causes of unaffordable homeowners insurance rates and canceled coverage.

Committee Chair Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., took the narrative a step further to suggest that the climate-driven financial problems in the insurance industry are driving economic problems for the entire nation.

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Political Fissures Lead to the Rise of Trump-Aligned Activist Associations in Arizona

National Freedom Coalition meeting

In the wake of years-long friction between independent Right-of-center activists and Republican Party veterans, some Arizonans are forming stand-alone political groups. One recent clash in May gained national attention when a video recording surfaced of a Legislative District 2 (LD2) meeting that devolved into a physical altercation.

Interviews by The Arizona Sun Times of several of the individuals at that meeting revealed that the conflict was more about the discord between hundreds of newly-recruited, pro-Trump precinct committeemen (PCs) and the establishment PCs that have participated in and run the Republican party in the area for years.

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Court: ‘Executive Deputy Director’ Role in Hobbs Administration Violates Arizona Law

Katie Hobbs

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has “Executive Deputy Directors” running state agencies, lost in court on Wednesday. Hobbs has used the tactic to avoid more nominees being rejected by the Republican-led Senate Committee on Director Nominations.

The Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County said the current leaders of these agencies are “de facto” and “in violation of Arizona law.” Thirteen agency leaders are considered EDDs; however, Hobbs is not obligated to give nominations for directors to the committee just yet as arguments on that will be in late July or early August, according to Capitol Media Services.

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Connecticut City Rejects Flying ‘Thin Blue Line’ Flag to Honor Fallen Trooper; Flies Pride Flag at Half Staff Instead

Aaron Pelletier

Council members in Wethersfield, Connecticut voted against flying a “Thin Blue Line” police flag in honor of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, who was killed last week in a hit and run, opting instead to hoist a gay pride flag at half staff.

Pelletier was conducting a routine traffic stop in Southington, Connecticut last Thursday, when he was hit outside of his cruiser by Alex Oyola-Sanchez, a Puerto Rican native who had already been convicted of third-degree murder, attempted homicide and other felonies.

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Pennsylvania Zoning Restrictions Debated in Committee Hearing

Home Construction

When questions on land use arise in the General Assembly, Pennsylvania politicians play a game of role reversal. Republicans, generally quicker to defend the free market, stand up for local government control, while Democrats tell of the virtues of the market at work and the dangers of government heavy-handedness.

So it was in the House Local Government Committee hearing on Wednesday as Democratic Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Allentown, proposed the removal of zoning restrictions and Republican Reps. Jack Rader, R-Effort, and R. Lee James, R-Seneca, defended the power of zoning officials.

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Georgia Committees to Explore Forest Innovation, Farmland Preservation, and Tree Safety

Georgia Forest

Several Georgia study committees will explore various agricultural issues facing the Peach State, including the potential impact of sustainable aviation fuel.

The Senate Advancing Forest Innovation in Georgia Study Committee, created by Senate Resolution 786, will examine how public policy can encourage continued investment in facilities that create sustainable manufacturing components, practices, energy sources and other high-demand products derived from Georgia’s forest products.

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Ohio Attorney General Sues to Stop Potential Sale of Rare Jewish Books and Manuscripts

Dave Yost

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants to stop the sale of ancient Jewish texts and books at the nation’s first permanent Jewish institution of higher learning in Cincinnati.

Yost filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent Hebrew Union College from selling copies of the Talmud and other ancient books after the school expressed interest in parting with them to offset growing deficits.

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Kari Lake Rallies Support at Sonny’s Boxing Gym with UFC Star Tito Ortiz

Kari Lake

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake held a rally at Sonny’s Boxing Gym in Goodyear, near the Avondale border in the heart of the Latino community there. Conservative UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz joined her at the event, which was hosted by Latinos for Lake.

The gym was packed with mostly Hispanic supporters from the West Valley, many of whom told The Sun Times they support Lake because they believe she will fight for them.

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Hallie Biden Testifies About Hunter Biden Drug Use at the Time of Gun Purchase

Hunter Biden in courtroom (composite image)

Hunter Biden ex-girlfriend Hallie Biden began testimony in the first son’s gun trial Thursday, describing how she discovered Hunter was using drugs and how she disposed of the weapon at the center of the case.

Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter Biden’s brother, Beau, dated the younger Biden shortly after his older brother passed away in 2015 and during the key period in the case.

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Commentary: The New Fundamentalism and the Religion of Politics

Congress at Night

Those who would abolish religion and prohibit the free exercise thereof, are themselves religious. Those who would replace religion with the cult of reason, and sacrifice the soul before the altar of science, are unreasonable in the extreme: they are political extremists whose religion is politics.

This religion, with contempt for one nation under God, is in opposition to our civil religion. This religion, with contempt for the idea of God, that God exists, that God is true, that God is just, is without mercy. This religion, with contempt for the sons of Abraham, and of all who are children of God through faith, is a declaration of war against Jews and Christians

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James Carville Calls On Media to Ramp Up ‘Slanted Coverage’ to Defeat Trump

James Carville

Democratic strategist James Carville on Thursday advocated for media outlets to boost their biased coverage of former President Donald Trump to help ensure he does not win the upcoming presidential election.

The New York Times’ executive editor Joe Kahn in May told Semafor his publication’s duty is to cover what Americans care about rather than what benefits President Joe Biden and hurts Trump. Carville on the “Politics War Room” took issue with this approach, saying that because of the stakes of the election, media outlets should take a more active role in advocating against Trump and people aligned with him instead of seeking to be objective.

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