Commentary: The Financialization of Nature

Power Plant Money

Financialization: “A pattern of accumulation in which profit making occurs increasingly through financial channels rather than through trade and commodity production.”
– Greta Krippner, Economic Sociologist, University of Michigan

There are plenty of examples of how America’s economy shifted from a production-based economy to a financially-based economy over the past forty years. Starting around 1980, with the economies of post-World War II Europe and Japan fully rebuilt and roaring, and emerging Asian economies turning into powerhouses of manufacturing as well, America chose financialization as an alternative to rising up to meet the competition.

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Montana’s Race And Sex-Based Requirements for Key Medical Board Are Unconstitutional, Lawsuit Alleges

Greg Gianforte

A medical watchdog sued the Montana governor Tuesday over race and sex-based requirements for the state’s top medical board.

The lawsuit was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a public interest law firm, on behalf of Do No Harm (DNH), a medical activist organization, in the United States District Court for the District of Montana Helena Division against Republican Montana Gov. Gregory Gianforte. The PLF is representing an unidentified woman affiliated with DNH who cannot apply to the Montana Board of Medical Examiners due to the sex-based requirements, which PLF alleges violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, according to a DNH press release.

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West Point Ditches ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ from Mission Statement

The United States Military Academy has removed the words “Duty, Honor, Country” from its mission statement, a move approved by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Randy George.

The previous mission statement read “To educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army.”

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England Bans the Use of Puberty Blockers at Nation’s Gender Identity Clinics

Doctor Patient

England’s National Health Service (NHS) has banned the use of puberty blockers to treat children with gender dysphoria at the nation’s gender identity clinics, Sky News reported.

Taking a position at odds with the Biden administration, Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: “We have always been clear that children’s safety and wellbeing is paramount, so we welcome this landmark decision by the NHS. Ending the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure that care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and is in the best interests of the child.”

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Report: Biden Staffers Allege Toxic Work Environment in Advance Office

Biden Cabinet Meeting

A new report claims that dozens of staffers in the Biden Administration have experienced an unhealthy and toxic work environment in the president’s Advance Office.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the article from Politico featured over a dozen individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe what they have gone through. The focus is on former Associate Director Ian Mellul, who resigned on March 1st after the White House Counsel’s Office carried out an investigation into allegations of verbal harassment.

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Court Upholds Rule Barring Gender Identity on Kansas Drivers Licenses

Kansas City road

A judge ruled Monday that barring Kansas drivers from identifying as transgender on their licenses did not violate their constitutional rights.

Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in July 2023 after the governor’s office said that the state would continue to issue driver’s licenses reflecting a person’s gender identity despite the Kansas Legislature passing a bill requiring only biological sex on government IDs, according to the Kansas Reflector. Judge Teresa Watson upheld her previous ruling from last year barring the Kansas Department of Revenue from adding options other than a person’s biological sex to driver’s licenses and further stated that the law did not violate transgender individuals’ rights under the state constitution, according to court documents.

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Poll: Majority of Democrats Oppose Certifying Trump Victory in 2024

Trump Speaking

A new survey suggests that a clear majority of Democratic voters would be in favor of blocking the certification of the electoral vote in 2024 if President Donald Trump wins the election again.

As Breitbart reports, the new poll from Rasmussen Reports asked likely voters the following question: “Some Democrats in Congress have said that if Trump wins this year’s election, they will vote against certifying the election results because of Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Do you support or oppose Democrats refusing to certify the election results if Trump wins?”

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Republicans Introduce Bill to Ban Sanctuary Cities in Minnesota

Rasmusson Minnesota

Over two dozen Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature are supporting legislation that would prohibit Minnesota cities from becoming so-called “sanctuary cities.” Known as SF 4328, the proposed law would also increase penalties for human trafficking and fine employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

SF 4328 is authored by Minnesota Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls.

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Florida Parental Rights Law Upheld in Court

Ron DeSantis

On Monday, the state of Florida finally settled a lawsuit that had lasted for several years regarding the fate of a parental rights law that had come to be derogatorily known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

According to The Hill, the settlement agreement determined that the law, the 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act, will be kept in place but will tone down certain portions that were determined to be too close to violations of the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

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Commentary: Colleges Embrace ‘Deficit Framing’ to Justify Students’ Unpreparedness

College students in the library

It is an open secret among college professors and university administrators that college students aren’t what they used to be.

They struggle with lengthy reading assignments and basic vocabulary. They don’t know rudimentary algebra. They can’t add or subtract fractions. They complain that deadlines, hard exams, and required attendance are impediments to their success.

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‘Clearheaded Most of the Time’: Corporate Media Defends Biden’s Lucidity as Interview Transcript Reveals Memory Lapses

Joe Biden and Jill Biden

Corporate media on Tuesday defended President Joe Biden’s lucidity after a transcript of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur was released, showing memory lapses.

Hur issued his report in February on Biden’s handling of classified documents, deciding not to pursue charges against the president and noting several memory lapses. The transcript released on Tuesday backed up the existence of these lapses, but several corporate media outlets attempted to make them seem less significant, reporting on the vast detail Biden went into on certain topics.

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Rumble Makes Offer to Buy and Operate TikTok in the U.S.

The Post Millennial The free speech video platform Rumble has offered to buy TikTok, as legislation moves through Congress that would see the popular social media platform banned in the US if parent company ByteDance does not divest from TikTok. “In the event that ByteDance divests its ownership in TikTok, Rumble is ready to join a consortium with other parties seeking to acquire and operate TikTok inside the United States. Specifically, we are ready to serve as a cloud technology partner,” a letter from Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew states. “Yesterday, Rumble announced the public launch of Rumble Cloud, a new infrastructure as a service offering that champions the free and open internet,” Pavlovski wrote. “All data on the Rumble Cloud is stored safely and securely at sites inside of the United States on Rumble’s own neutral and independent infrastructure.” READ THE FULL STORY      

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Mitch Albom Among 10 Americans Rescued from Haiti by GOP Congressman Cory Mills

Boston Herald A group from Michigan that had been trapped in Haiti was rescued overnight Tuesday in an operation coordinated by Florida U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, according to Michigan U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain. The group of Michigan residents included Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, who was in Port-au-Prince at an orphanage affiliated with his charity, McClain told The Detroit News. McClain, a Republican from Bruce Township, disclosed the rescue mission Tuesday during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, saying that she had asked Mills to get involved because there was “no plan” from the U.S. government to get out those who were stranded. READ THE FULL STORY            

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Commentary: The Anti-Democratic Democratic Left

BLM protesters

Joe Biden has claimed that his opponents are assaulting democracy on the basis of the January 6, 2020, buffoonish riot.

Aside from the fact that storming the Capitol Rotunda sometimes is apparently deemed permissible—as in the recent pro-Hamas takeover of it—or aside from the fact that disrupting a federal government proceeding is deemed exempt—as in the recent pro-Hamas throng that blocked the route of the presidential motorcade and thus delayed the State of the Union address to the nation by 26 minutes—who really is attacking democracy?

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‘Cannabis Studies’ Program Launched at Roanoke College

Worker examining cannabis plant

Students at Roanoke College will soon be able to major in “cannabis studies.”

The private Virginia college will begin offering a major and minor this upcoming semester.

Program Director DorothyBelle Poli told The College Fix via email that majors can “go directly into the industry as growing/analysis scientists” or “as business owners with more knowledge (most likely double majoring in business at this time).”

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Feds Give $4 Million in Grants to University of Arizona for LGBTQ+ Mental Health

University of Arizona - Old Main Building

Nearly $4 million in grants to the University of Arizona for LGBTQ+ mental health services is raising concerns among some students.

The UA Southwest Institute for Research on Women recently received $3.7 million in federal grants, according to a university news release late last month. The two grants came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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Top Doctors Complain Detransitioners Posed ‘Harm’ to Trans Members at Medical Conference

Chloe Cole

Several gender doctors complained that detransitioners and “anti-trans” activists were allowed to attend an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) conference and claimed they made attendees feel unsafe, according to a series of emails exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The AAP holds its National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) each year, and in October 2023, the organization allowed the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) in Medicine, which opposes the medical transition of minors, to have a booth in the exhibit hall, prompting outrage from attendees, according to emails obtained through a public records request. Dr. Gina Sequeira, the co-director of the Gender Clinic at Seattle Children’s Hospital, sent an email to colleagues on Oct. 25 claiming that having detransitioners like Chloe Cole and Prisha Mosley and gender industry whistleblowers such as Jamie Reed at the conference had made doctors and “LGBTQ-identified” attendees question whether NCE could be a “safe space for them.”

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Alan Dershowitz Commentary: Who Will Prosecute the Prosecutors?

Fani Willis

If Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis were prosecuting citizen Fani Willis and her former boyfriend Nathan Wade for perjury, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, she would have an extremely strong case. The evidence of perjury is overwhelming; many individuals have been convicted on far less evidence.

Recall that Willis and Wade testified under oath to the material fact that Willis did not hire Wade as special prosecutor while they were having a romantic relationship. They both testified that the romantic relationship began after the hiring decision was made. If that was a deliberate lie, it satisfies all the elements of perjury.

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Team Biden Rolls Out Massive $30 Million Ad Campaign to Capture Crucial Voting Blocs

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden’s campaign is rolling out a new $30 million six-week ad buy in several swing states in a bid to capture crucial voting blocs ahead of November.

The ad campaign will air in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, according to Politico, and aims to tout several Biden initiatives on “climate change” and abortion, as well as address concerns surrounding the president’s mental fitness. The ad campaign parallels a wider administration effort to gain support among African Americans and young people as the president continues to lag behind former President Donald Trump in the polls.

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Government Report Could Lead to an Infestation of Federal Regulation into Youth Sports, Experts Say

Youth Sports

A key report recently released by a federal government commission could result in a slew of new regulations being pushed onto youth sports, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics & Paralympics, which was established by Congress in 2020 to address concerns about the U.S. Olympic Commission, including the handling of sexual abuse cases, outlines several key policy changes that it believes the government should pursue, including expanding the reach of government in youth sports at the grassroots level, according to the report. The injection of federal oversight and government into an already functioning youth sports system could create undue regulations on leagues and possibly force diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in local areas, hurting young athletes while also forcing Americans to pay into a sports league that they may not be interested in, experts warned.

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Commentary: Unemployment Up Another 760,000 Since December 2022 as Unemployment Rate Jumps to 3.9 Percent

Don’t look now, but U.S. labor markets appear to be churning in the wrong direction, as the unemployment rate jumped to 3.9 percent in February, and the unemployment level hit a new high for this cycle at almost 6.5 million, up 760,000 from its low this cycle of 5.7 million in Dec. 2022, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Another Elite University Will Reinstate Standardized Testing for Admission

Brown University

Brown University will reinstate a policy requiring standardized testing as part of the admissions process, according to a Tuesday news release.

First year applicants for next year’s admissions cycle will be required to submit standardized test scores, like the SAT or ACT, in their applications, according to the university news release. Brown suspended its testing policy in the summer of 2020 citing “unprecedented obstacles to testing” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Taxpayers to Pay $3 Million for Mayorkas Impeachment Defense

Alejandro Mayorkas

The Department of Homeland Security so far has spent $3 million of taxpayer money to defend embattled Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas against impeachment by the House of Representatives, according to documents obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.

The DHS contract with a law firm was to cover the cost of a failed attempt to stave off a House impeachment, as well as to defend President Joe Biden’s homeland security secretary in a possible Senate trial.

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Snickers Outright Rejects Biden SOTU Claim About Reducing Size of Candy Bar

Biz Pac Review An angry President Joe Biden ranted at length during his State of the Union address, lashing out at his 2024 opponent Donald J. Trump, and calling out the maker of one of America’s most popular candy bars. In sticking with the “shrinkflation” theme laid out by his handlers to gaslight Americans into blaming food corporations for the “Bidenomics” disaster, the 81-year-old career politician singled out Snickers bars as an example of how people have been getting less for their money during the period of prolonged inflation that has marked his tenure. “In fact, the snack companies think you won’t notice if they change the size of the bag and put a hell of a lot fewer — — same — same size bag — put fewer chips in it. No, I’m not joking. It’s called shrinkflation,” Biden said, urging the passage of a bill by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) to assert more government control over private companies. READ THE FULL STORY

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Mitch McConnell’s Billionaire Sister-in-Law Angela Chao Made Panicked Last Call Before Dying in ‘Completely Submerged’ Tesla on Texas Ranch: Report

New York Post Angela Chao, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s billionaire sister-in-law, spent her last minutes alive frantically calling her friends for help as her Tesla slowly sank in a pond on a remote Texas ranch, according to a report. Chao, the billionaire former CEO of dry bulk shipping giant Foremost Group, tragically died at the age of 50 on Feb. 10 after accidentally backing her car into the pond while making a three-point turn. The driving mishap was detailed in a report by The Wall Street Journal that shed light on the chaotic rescue efforts that ultimately came up short, turning what was supposed to be a celebratory weekend with friends into a nightmare. READ THE FULL STORY    

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Pro-Life Pregnancy Group Appeals to SCOTUS in Clash with New Jersey AG over ‘Unlawful’ Subpoena

First Choice Building

by Noah Slayter   An organization that operates pro-life pregnancy centers in New Jersey asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case involving what the centers’ petition calls an “improper” and “unlawful” subpoena by state Attorney General Matthew Platkin. Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal firm known as ADF, filed a petition with the high court Feb. 26 on behalf of First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, asking it to force a lower court to hear the case. A federal district court judge dismissed the pregnancy resource organization’s case Feb. 15, citing “lack of jurisdiction.” In December, Platkin, a Democrat, subpoenaed First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, which operates five pregnancy centers by that name in the state, over what he called potential violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. “With zero justification, the attorney general is unlawfully targeting and harassing First Choice, simply because the resources it provides help women in need continue their pregnancies rather than abort their unborn children,” ADF legal counsel Tim Garrison said Friday in a written statement to The Daily Signal. The District Court incorrectly denied First Choice’s right “to address their claims in federal court,” Garrison said, “and should not affirm AG Platkin’s abuse of power after he initiated an illegitimate and harassing…

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Attacks on Christian Churches on the Rise in the United States

Church mass

Over the last five years, the United States has suffered a dramatic increase in the number of attacks on Christian churches, often the result of far-left political movements.

As reported by Breitbart, the data from the Family Research Council (FRC) revealed a record-high number of church attacks in the year 2023 alone, with 436 incidents; these attacks range from arson and gun-related attacks, to vandalism and bomb threats.

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Teachers Unions Spending Millions on GOP Primaries in 32 States

Randi Weingarten

A new report claims that teachers unions, which are overwhelmingly left-wing, have been spending millions on Republican primaries in recent years, with the campaign stretching across 32 different states.

As Fox News reports, the report from the Daily Signal suggests that various local affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) have been increasingly donating more money to Republican primary candidates for state legislatures over the last six years.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Signs Bill Banning Legacy Admissions

College Students

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Friday banning legacy admissions at public colleges in the state.

Several states have moved to eliminate legacy admissions, which are admissions based on prior familial attendance to a school, after the fall of race-based admissions at the Supreme Court in June 2023. The bill passed the Virginia Senate with bipartisan support, 39-0, and passed the state’s House of Delegates 99-0, and has now been signed by Youngkin.

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Commentary: Rapidly Declining Mainline Church Seeks to Require Ministers to Support Transgenderism, Gay Marriage

Woman Pastor

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has permitted, but not required, its ministers to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies since 2014. But that allowance is no longer sufficient for the progressive denomination; it now aims to mandate that future ministers affirm transgenderism and same-sex marriage as prerequisites for ordination. At its General Assembly this June, the denomination will take up legislation that would implement that requirement.

The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s proposed requirement stands out for its inclusion of affirmation for transgenderism alongside same-sex marriage. Specifically, it does so by adding “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to its list of groups protected from discrimination, included in “worship, governance, and emerging life.” The proposal would also change the denomination’s “[s]tandards for ordained service” to make it obligatory for ministry candidates to pledge adherence to this principle of “non-discrimination.”

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Government Jobs Continue to Swell Under Biden as Unemployment Ticks Up

Team Work at Office

The U.S. set another new record for the total number of government jobs in February, even as overall unemployment ticks up, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The government added 52,000 positions in February, around the average gain per month seen in the last year, totaling 23,180,000, according to the BLS. The U.S. economy added 275,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in February, far higher than expectations of 200,000, but unemployment shot up from 3.7% to 3.9%.

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Commentary: Daylight Saving Time’s Mixed Results

This weekend, public service announcements will remind us daylight saving time is over. This means you have to set your clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. on March 10.

This semiannual ritual shifts our rhythms and temporarily makes us groggy at times when we normally feel alert. Moreover, many Americans are confused about why we spring forward in March and fall back in November, and whether it is worth the trouble.

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Exclusive: Liz Cheney, January 6 Committee Suppressed Exonerating Evidence of Trump’s Push for National Guard

The Federalist Former Rep. Liz Cheney’s January 6 Committee suppressed evidence that President Donald Trump pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the nation’s capital, a previously hidden transcript obtained by The Federalist shows. Cheney and her committee falsely claimed they had “no evidence” to support Trump officials’ claims the White House had communicated its desire for 10,000 National Guard troops. In fact, an early transcribed interview conducted by the committee included precisely that evidence from a key source. The interview, which Cheney attended and personally participated in, was suppressed from public release until now. Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato’s first transcribed interview with the committee was conducted on January 28, 2022. In it, he told Cheney and her investigators that he overheard White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows push Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as many National Guard troops as she needed to protect the city. READ THE FULL STORY         

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CNN Refuses to Air Ad Blaming Joe Biden’s Border Policies for Laken Riley’s Murder

Breitbart News CNN refused to air an ad that blames President Joe Biden’s policies at the United States-Mexico border for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, according to the group Building America’s Future, which produced the ad. The six-figure ad buy was run across the U.S., and importantly critical swing states, during Thursday evening’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. Fox News, MSNBC, and Newsmax all accepted the ad. Executives with Building America’s Future said CNN refused to air the ad. READ THE FULL STORY  

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Trump Ramps Up Black Male Voter Outreach in Swing States amid Biden’s Declining Support: Report

Trump Meeting

Former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is ramping up its efforts to target black male voters in crucial swing states, The Washington Post reported.

The former president has been making gains with black voters as President Joe Biden has been hemorrhaging support, polls have shown. Trump’s campaign will likely focus on black men who own guns and frequently attend church in order to grow his base, advisers told the Post, who were granted anonymity to characterize private conversations.

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Job Gains Surge for Another Month as Unemployment Ticks Up

Office Work

The U.S. added 275,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in February as the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.

Economists anticipated that the country would add 200,000 jobs in February compared to the 353,000 that were added in January, and that the unemployment rate would remain at 3.7%, according to Reuters. The job gains were announced two days after Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, told the House Financial Services Committee in its semi-annual monetary policy report that he does not believe that there is evidence for a recession, meaning rate cuts could be on the horizon.

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New Book Admits Fani Willis’ Get-Trump Investigation Began with Illegal Recording

The Federalist  Democrat Fani Willis’ legal troubles extend beyond recent revelations that she deceptively hired her otherwise under-qualified, secret, married lover to run the political prosecution of former President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Georgia. A new book from Mike Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman admits that a widely misunderstood phone call, on which Willis’ political prosecution rests, was illegally recorded. That means the entire prosecution could crumble with defendants having a new avenue to challenge Democrat lawfare. Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election is a fawning political biography of Willis. For context on the bias of the authors, Isikoff was an original Russia-collusion hoaxer, and his articles to that end were used to secure warrants for the FBI to spy on innocent Republican presidential campaign advisers such as Carter Page. For years, the media and other Democrats have held up Willis as a brilliant and credible prosecutor of Republicans. The new book suffers from poor timing, with Willis and her lover accused of perjury, subornation of perjury, bribery, and kickbacks related to the prosecution. Willis could be removed from the prosecution as early as this week. READ THE FULL STORY …

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‘Needs to Do Better’ Liberals Slam Biden’s SOTU Comment Calling Laken Riley’s Alleged Murderer ‘An Illegal’

Laken Riley Joe Biden

Liberals slammed President Joe Biden’s use of the noun “illegal” when describing 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley’s alleged murderer during his State of the Union address Thursday.

Republicans demanded the president say Riley’s name during his speech, as he had yet to directly address the tragedy publicly since she was killed on Feb. 22. Biden’s comments were met with criticism from his left flank for how he characterized Jose Antonio Ibarra, the murder suspect who is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela released into the country under the president’s administration.

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Trump Posts $91 Million Bond as He Appeals E. Jean Carroll Verdict

Trump Bail

Former President Donald Trump on Friday posted a civil bond of $91.6 million as he appeals a defamation award against him obtained by Elizabeth Jean Carroll.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in the 2024 election, was sued by Carroll, a columnist for Elle magazine, on allegations that he defamed her in verbal attacks during a separate legal proceeding, where she sued him for civil damages over an alleged sexual assault in the 1990s. Carroll obtained a judgment of $83.3 million against Trump in January, which Trump has appealed, and posted a “supersedeas” bond of that amount, plus anticipated interest and other costs, on Friday, in a filing submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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Alabama Gov Signs Law Protecting IVF After Landmark Ruling Declared Frozen Embryos ‘Children’

Kay Ivey

Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill Wednesday evening that gives medical professionals who freeze embryos for fertility treatments immunity from criminal prosecution.

The bill was proposed by lawmakers in February after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) were “children” and multiple IVF clinics shut down as a result due to concerns about being prosecuted. Ivey announced that she had signed the bill in a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Layoffs Surge for Another Month Despite Job Gains

Empty Office

Layoffs at U.S. companies surged for another month as businesses adjusted to current market conditions, despite huge reported job gains, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Job cuts increased to 84,638 in February, 3% higher than in January when layoffs also soared, and 9% higher than February last year, which had 77,770 cuts, according to the report. The layoffs are in spite of strong reported job growth, with the U.S. adding 353,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in January, far higher than expectations of 180,000.

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Commentary: The Federal Government is Deciding Who Can Start a Small Business

Business Owner

Just when it seemed impossible for things to get tougher for small businesses, the federal government decided to make things worse.

Small businesses have had a tough run for the last few years. Record inflation, high interest rates, and workforce shortages have led to widespread pessimism among small businesses. The last thing they need is more government interference, but that is exactly what is happening.

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