The president of Columbia University resigned her post on Wednesday, after just one year at the helm and months after anti-Israel protests shut down the campus.
Read the full storyEmbattled Columbia University President Resigns from Post
Day: August 14, 2024
Colorado Jury Unanimously Finds Tina Peters Guilty on Seven of 10 Counts
The trial of former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters ended on Monday, with the jury unanimously finding her guilty of seven of the 10 counts she was charged with. Peters was prosecuted in relation to backing up an election server since she said she believed that a scheduled upgrade of the election software would override election files that were required to be saved for 22-25 months by federal and state law, and she was concerned there was election fraud in the 2020 and 2021 elections.
After deliberating for around three hours, the jury found Peters guilty on three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, official misconduct, violation of a duty, failure to comply with requirements from the Colorado Secretary of State (COSOS), and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. She was found not guilty on another count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, criminal impersonation, and identity theft.
Read the full storyConsumer Prices Rise in Latest Federal Inflation Data
Consumer prices rose again last month after dipping in June, according to newly released federal inflation data.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday released its Consumer Price Index, a key marker of inflation, which showed that consumer prices rose 0.2% in July, part of a 2.9% increase over the past 12 months.
Read the full storyMan Wrongly Convicted of Murder Under Kamala Harris: ‘I’m Going with Donald Trump’ in 2024
A man who was wrongly convicted of murder in San Francisco when Vice President Kamala Harris was serving as the city’s district attorney, and who later received more than $13 million in a settlement after he was acquitted following six years in prison endorsed former President Donald Trump in his bid for the White House in 2024.
Trulove endorsed Trump in a video posted to YouTube on July 28, explaining that he previously supported the Biden-Harris ticket during the 2020 election in a bid to preserve his entertainment career.
Read the full storyCongress Opens Probe into Whether Google Search Misled Americans on Trump Assassination
Already facing a potential breakup from a devastating antitrust court ruling, Google got more bad news Wednesday when the main congressional oversight committee announced it had opened a probe into whether the search engine misled Americans about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump last month.
Read the full storyPolicy Expert Says Story of Wrongly Convicted and Jailed Man Courtesy of Kamala Harris Should Be Amplified by the Trump Campaign
Recovering journalist and Nashville-area public policy expert Clint Brewer said former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign should amplify the story of Jamal Trulove and his connection to Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris leading up to the November 5 general election to sway independent and Democratic voters.
Trulove was wrongfully convicted in 2010 on a first-degree murder charge in San Francisco during the time Harris was serving as San Francisco District Attorney.
Read the full storyBiden Remains Bitter at Top Democrats as They Plan to Formally Usher Him Out the Door: Report
Fox News President Biden remains bitter toward the top Democrats who organized his ouster from the 2024 presidential race, even as the party prepares a massive sendoff at the Democratic National Convention, according to a report. Biden remains frustrated that former President Obama did not tell him to drop out face to face, but rather relied on his influence behind the scenes, Politico reported Tuesday. Biden is also angry at former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who he believes played the major role in forcing him to withdraw, alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the outlet reported, citing three sources familiar with Biden’s thinking. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyMortgage Applications Hit 19-Month High
Axios The number of Americans applying for a mortgage hit its highest level since January 2023 last week, while the number of refinance applications surged to a level not seen since May 2022. The number of Americans taking out new mortgages is still extremely low — but at least it’s growing. Lower long-term interest rates means lower mortgage rates, and an opportunity for folks who took out expensive mortgages to see a little bit of relief on their monthly payments. READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyMars May Hold Large Reserves of Water
Washington Examiner Mars‘s crusty interior may harbor massive reservoirs of water, enough to fill an ocean, according to a recent study of seismic data. Scientists have long though that Mars’s surface was once covered by water, most likely stretching across at least one third of the terrain in a massive northern ocean. But the water dried up a millennia ago, and those studying the red planet have debated whether the water simply evaporated due to the planet’s size or was absorbed beneath the surface to be held in vast underground reservoirs. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests the latter after an analysis of seismic data showed that the speed of waves traveling through the planet’s crust indicates similar reservoirs to ones that can be found below the Earth’s surface, according to Reuters. Scientists have also debated whether such water would be frozen or whether Mars’s active crust would keep the water warm enough to be liquid. The study suggests the latter. READ THE FULL STORY
Read the full storyHunter Biden Reportedly Wanted Government to Help with Burisma Project While Joe Was VP
Hunter Biden reportedly asked U.S. officials to help him in connection to an energy deal in Italy while his father was vice president and he worked for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, according to The New York Times.
Records not released by the Biden administration until after President Joe Biden quit the 2024 presidential race reportedly show that Hunter Biden wrote a 2016 letter to the American ambassador in Italy in which he sought U.S. government assistance related to a project being planned by Burisma, according to the NYT. Specifically, Hunter Biden reportedly wanted the ambassador’s help to set up a meeting between Burisma and the president of Tuscany, a region of Italy where the company was hoping to develop a geothermal energy project.
Read the full storyGlobal Health Emergency Is Declared by World Health Organization over Mpox Outbreak in Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Wednesday that the outbreak of mpox, formerly called Monkeypox, is a global public health emergency based on an increase in cases and deaths in recent months.
Read the full storyPresident Joe Biden Signs Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s Victims’ VOICES Act into Law
President Joe Biden recently signed the Victims’ Voices Outside and Inside the Courtroom Effectiveness (Victims’ VOICES) Act into law, which was sponsored by Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
Read the full storySeattle Children’s Hospital Segregates Doctors by Race in Leaked Training Materials
Newly-leaked training material from Seattle Children’s Hospital reveals how the hospital segregated doctors by race and asked them to invoke “repressed racial memories” and “race-consciousness” during their training.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the training in question took place in August of 2022, and was mandated for all employees in the gastroenterology department. The training session divided staff into three “racial caucuses:” White, black, and “non-black people of color (POC).” The segregation was justified as being an effort to “minimize harm to our black learners and facilitator.”
Read the full storyReport: West Tennessee Zoning Affects Affordability in Expected Population Boom
West Tennessee is projected to have a significant population increase in coming years with Ford’s Blue Oval set to open outside Memphis but zoning regulations will have a large impact on the affordability of new housing in the region, according to a new report from Beacon Center of Tennessee.
Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development estimates that, by 2045, West Tennessee’s population will grow by more than 176,000 and the region will need more than 70,000 new housing units.
Read the full storyInflation Ticks Up in New Federal Data
Newly released federal inflation data shows that the Producer Price Index, a leading marker of inflation, rose last month.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the data, which showed a 0.1 percent increase in July, part of a 2.2 percent increase in the previous 12 months.
Read the full storyBlue State Judge Rules RFK Jr Cannot Appear on Ballot
A New York judge ruled Monday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cannot appear on the state’s ballot in November after it was revealed he listed a false address on his nominating petition.
Judge Christina L. Ryba wrote in the court’s decision that Kennedy had listed a New York address on his petition despite residing at a California address with his family, according to court documents. Kennedy promised to appeal the decision in a press release issued after the decision, claiming that the New York address is his primary residence and the legal battle is a political attack.
Read the full storyCommentary: ‘Zuck Bucks’ Need to Be Stopped Cold
It is less than 90 days to Election Day, and right on queue the group behind the “Zuck Bucks” campaign of 2020 is back with a new scheme. This time, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) is doling out millions in grant dollars to rural election administrators in 19 states.
Election officers beware. The group is trying to turn the government offices that run elections into bastions of partisan progressive activism. Election officials striving for nonpartisanship should steer clear.
Read the full storyPolice Confirm Investigation After Swastika Graffiti Left on Property Owned by Pennsylvania Boarding School
Pennsylvania police department confirmed it is investigating after a swastika was spray painted on the floor of a barn owned by the private Westtown School but rented by the FarmerJawn regenerative organic farm.
An August 6 press release published on Monday by the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department confirms FarmerJawn owner Christa Barfield called officers after an employee discovered “a swastika had been spray painted on the floor of one of the barns that she leases from the Westtown School.”
Read the full storyMaricopa County Agrees to Test Ballot Tabulators Used in Elections, Not Just Backup Machines
The Republican Party of Arizona has secured an agreement with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to test ballot tabulators used in elections, rather than only testing backup equipment.
The agreement states that the board “will inform the Secretary of State that it wants the test to be of at least six of the tabulators and twelve of the accessible voting devices scheduled to be deployed to early voting locations and vote centers.”
Read the full storyFeds Give South Carolina Airports More than $5.7 Million in Grants
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded South Carolina airports more than $5.7 million in Airport Improvement Program grants.
The money is part of $636 million for 320 grants in 46 states and American Samoa to improve airport infrastructure. The feds awarded the money as part of the 2024 Airport Improvement Program’s fourth round of grants.
Read the full storyOhio Business Optimism Growing; Inflation Becomes Top Issue
Ohio small business owners continue to struggle with inflation despite growing optimism around the country, according to a new survey from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
NFIB-Ohio released results from its monthly survey Tuesday, showing its Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.2 points in July, the highest reading since February 2022.
Read the full storyFormer SEC Attorney Puts Spotlight on Teacher Pension Fund Overseen by Walz
A former attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission who conducts independent investigations on pension funds is blowing the whistle on behalf of a group of Minnesota teachers who have hired him to investigate claims that their retirement investment returns have been inflated.
Edward Siedle is well known across the nation in circles that closely scrutinize pension fund investments. He’s alleging that the state’s Teachers Retirement Association recently sent emails to its board and staff and to liaisons in the administration of Gov. Tim Walz warning them of Siedle’s investigation.
Read the full storyReport Says Milwaukee School Enrollment Down and Students Still Behind
A new report says most students in Milwaukee schools are not getting any better of an education now than they were 30 years ago.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum released the study recently. It shows children are doing just as poorly now as they were in 1994, despite the billions of dollars spent on education since then.
Read the full storyFlorida Republicans’ Voter Registration Advantage Tops 1 Million: Report
The state of Florida reportedly has one million more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters.
There are 5.3 million active GOP voters and 4.3 million active Democratic voters, according to The Associated Press. Roughly 3.9 million voters in the Sunshine state don’t associate with either party.
Read the full storyVirginia’s Open Records Laws Show Room for Improvement in Key Areas, Says Expert
The Freedom of Information Act exists to promote governmental transparency, although it doesn’t always accomplish that end, according to the Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, Megan Rhyne.
And though Virginia’s not unique in that regard, it’s difficult to compare states’ open records laws because they can differ by many variables, according to Rhyne.
Read the full storyArizona Approves Referendums Empowering Police to Target Illegal Immigration, Enshrining Abortion Access in November
Arizona will have two referendums on the ballot in November, giving voters the opportunity to empower law enforcement to arrest and deport illegal immigrants and enshrine the right to abortion into the Arizona Constitution.
The Arizona Abortion Access Act was approved on Monday, with Secretary of State Adrian Fontes claiming the number of valid signatures broke the state’s previous record in remarks delivered to the press.
Read the full storyMichigan Senate Candidates Bash Each Other for Alleged Deals with Chinese Companies
Both Michigan candidates for the U.S. Senate hold “tough on China” stances, but in the wake of the Aug. 6 primaries, Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers have escalated accusations that their opponent supports Chinese businesses.
“Want to know the truth about Slotkin? All it takes is a quick Google search,” Rogers posted to social media recently.
Read the full story23-Year Army Soldier and PAGOP U.S. House Candidate Alfe Goodwin Questions VP Nominee Walz, ‘What Else Have You Misspoken About?’
A 23-year veteran of the U.S. Army told The Pennsylvania Daily Star the explanation offered by the Harris-Walz campaign about the stolen valor allegations levied by Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) and veterans against Governor Tim Walz would only lead to more questions and skepticism from veterans.
Alfe Goodwin, the Pennsylvania Republican who will oppose Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05) in November, told The Star she enlisted after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and continues to serve in the reserve component.
Read the full storyFeds Give Georgia $14.3 Million for Airport Block Grants
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Georgia nearly $14.3 million to help rehabilitate nonprimary airports statewide, officials said.
The money, part of $636 million for 320 grants in 46 states and American Samoa, ostensibly aims to improve airport infrastructure. It was awarded as part of the 2024 Airport Improvement Program’s fourth round of grants, and the Georgia award includes more than $13.3 million in entitlement spending and $924,275 in discretionary spending.
Read the full storyHarris Supporting UAW Files Labor Charges Against Trump and Musk after X Conversation
The United Auto Workers (UAW), which formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, announced on Tuesday that it filed federal labor charges against former President Trump and Elon Musk after their Monday evening live conversation on the social platform X.
The UAW argued that Musk and Trump tried to “intimidate and threaten” union workers.
Read the full storyScience Journal Buries High Myocarditis Risk from COVID Vax, Claims Shot Reduces Heart Attacks
A science journal published studies last month that alternately claimed COVID-19 vaccines vastly increase the risk of myocarditis, and lower the “incidence of common cardiovascular events” more than raising “known rare cardiovascular complications” such as myocarditis.
The July 23 study of 9.2 million South Koreans in Nature Communications, sibling to the better-known Nature, did not lead with the myocarditis results. The July 31 study of 45.7 million Britons emphasized how much greater the purported vaccine benefit was.
Read the full storyGOP Senators Accuse Biden-Harris Admin of Diverting Small Business Resources to ‘Green New Deal Handouts’
A trio of top Republican senators accused the Biden administration for allegedly shuffling resources intended for small businesses into a “climate slush fund” in a letter exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa, James Risch of Idaho and Marco Rubio of Florida on August 9 sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) head Isabel Guzman, accusing her agency of undermining Community Advantage, a program intended to provide loans to small businesses, by enrolling new lenders that will focus on “support[ing] small businesses’ efforts to reduce climate change.” The group of lawmakers also voiced suspicion regarding the SBA’s recent collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Reduction Fund, noting that the SBA’s July 22 announcement that it would be coordinating with the multi-billion dollar green energy grant program came right after Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Read the full storyMigrant Allegedly Rapes Woman at Knifepoint in Front of Boyfriend: Report
A migrant previously arrested for sexual assault allegedly raped a woman at knifepoint in New York City on Sunday, while another attacked her boyfriend when he tried to intervene, the New York Post reported.
David Davon-Bonilla, a 24-year-old Nicaraguan migrant, reportedly threw the 46-year-old woman to the ground and held a knife to her throat as he raped her, law-enforcement sources told the NYP. When the woman’s boyfriend attempted to stop the attack, Davon-Bonilla’s alleged accomplice, 37-year-old Mexican migrant Leovando Moreno, reportedly struck him with a pipe.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Fight to Push Latinos Right
In the past four years, approximately 4 million Latino Americans have become eligible to vote, making the Latino population account for 14.7% of all eligible voters. This increasingly independent cohort is up for grabs, and one conservative Latino-focused PAC intends to win them over.
The bloc was a key part of the coalition that helped deliver President Joe Biden to the White House in 2020. In 12 of the 13 states with the largest Latino populations, Latinos supported Biden over former President Donald Trump by a margin of at least two to one. And in nine of the 13 states, that margin was at least three to one. Only in Florida was Biden’s margin less than two to one.
Read the full story