Author: Just the News

Google Threatens to Demonetize Wall Street Watchdog as GOP Targets Ad Collusion

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Wall Street Bull

Google’s artificial intelligence isn’t particularly bright when it comes to evaluating publishers’ compliance with its advertising policies, if the experience of a heterodox economics blog with outsized influence is any indication.

With a megaphone from Twitter Files journalist Matt Taibbi, both darlings of progressives in the “Occupy Wall Street” era, Naked Capitalism accused Google of making “flagrant errors” in its threats to demonetize the 18-year-old site for verboten content.

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NYC Council Appeals Ruling Against Non-Citizens Voting Law While D.C. Receives Favorable Ruling

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Vote Sign

The New York City Council has filed an appeal to the state’s highest court to reverse an intermediate appellate court’s ruling that struck down the city’s law allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections while Washington, D.C., recently had its non-citizens voting law upheld.

Cities are experiencing varying levels of success with their non-citizen voting laws, as New York City’s has been struck down twice in court while D.C.’s has survived an initial challenge.

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Youngkin Vetoes Recreational Marijuana Sales Bill, Citing Threats to ‘Health and Safety’

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Weed Store

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday vetoed legislation that would have created a state-regulated market for recreational marijuana sales.

The Old Dominion currently permits qualified patients to secure marijuana for medical purposes and in 2021 legalized its use and cultivation by residents aged 21 and older, though it has not yet approved a framework for legal retail sales, according to The Hill. The measure would have set up the process to permit the market to open in May of 2025 and set up a maximum tax rate of 11.625%, the Associated Press reported.

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Conservative Groups Sue to Stop Virginia Offshore Wind Project, Says Threatens Whales

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Wind Farm

Wildlife conservationists say that a recent uptick in deaths of these endangered whales corresponds with the development of offshore wind projects that are part of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda.

A coalition of conservative groups has filed a lawsuit against federal agencies and their top officials and the company planning to build what is expected to be the world’s largest offshore wind project.

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States Focus on Squatting as TikToker Encourages Illegal Immigrants to ‘Invade’ Homes

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Illegal immigrant being arrested

State and local officials are working to prevent property owners from having their residences taken over by squatters as a social media influencer from Venezuela encouraged illegal immigrants to “invade” homes in the U.S.

The issue of squatting has arisen in both Florida and Georgia, states fighting against squatting, while a New York City resident was arrested for trying to prevent a squatter from reentering her home. Squatting has become a concern with the influx of illegal immigrants as a Venezuelan national encouraged others to squat in Americans’ homes.

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From DACA to Deportation to Murder: Michigan the Latest State Hit by Immigration Enforcement Lapse

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Brandon Ortiz-Vite in front of other illegal immigrants (composite image)

An illegal immigrant, who once lived in the country as a DACA recipient before he was deported in 2020, was arrested over the weekend as a suspect in the slaying of a 25-year old Michigan woman. The incident is the second shocking murder of a young woman by an illegal immigrant this year, following the killing of Laken Riley in Georgia.

Michigan State Police began investigating the murder of Ruby Garcia, from Grand Rapids, after her body was found on a major highway that cuts through the city’s downtown. The body was discovered at 11:38 pm on Friday evening with apparent gunshot wounds, according to The Midwesterner.

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FISA Renewal Deadline Fast Approaching amid Bipartisan Call for Ending Warrantless Surveillance

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Mike Lee and Dick Durban in front of FISA court (composite image)

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) renewal deadline is fast approaching as conservative lawmakers and some Democrats continue their push for ending warrantless surveillance.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including conservative and progressive legislators, have called for reforming section 702 of FISA ahead of the April 19 deadline.

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Republicans Take on Ballot Harvesting, Drop Boxes but Legally Using them in 2024 Election Cycle

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Ballot drop box

As Alabama has banned ballot harvesting and Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are fighting ballot drop boxes, GOP campaign efforts are using those same tools where legal.

Democrats have long focused on mail-in and early voting while Republicans have warned of potential insecurities of those methods. Now the GOP is starting to embrace it this election cycle. However, the acceptance of mail-in voting as a tool isn’t preventing Republicans from looking to secure or ban certain aspects of it, such as ballot harvesting and ballot drop boxes.

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House Members of Progressive ‘Squad’ Grab More than $220 Million of Earmarks Since 2023

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar standing in front of the US capitol (composite image)

Members of the “Squad” of progressive lawmakers in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrangled more than $220 million worth of earmarks included in spending bills since the start of fiscal year 2023, according to a watchdog group.

“These eight members, up from 6 last year, have put almost $220 million worth of earmarks into the last two years of congressional spending packages, for causes like environmental justice, diversity, and immigration assistance,” read a new report from OpenTheBooks.com.

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Washington State Violated Court Order by Forcing Foster Parents to ‘Affirm’ Gender ID: Lawsuit

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Jennifer and Shane DeGross

The Pacific Northwest has a message for foster and adoptive parents: Agree to affirm a child’s self-determined “sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression,” including using their preferred pronouns and taking them to Pride parades, or leave the program.

Washington state adopted new Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression (SOGIE) regulations after accepting a permanent injunction against the “nearly identical” Policy 6900 to settle a First Amendment lawsuit by would-be foster parents in July 2021, non-renewed foster parents claim in a new lawsuit.

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Container Ship Slams Baltimore’s Key Bridge, Officials Say Vessel Lost Power Just Before Impact

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Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed

A container ship slammed into a Baltimore bridge early Tuesday, causing it to collapse and send vehicles and road crew members into a river in what authorities declared “a dire emergency.”

The incident occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, prompting an emergency search-and-rescue operation in the frigid waters of the Patapsco River.

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Milwaukee Takes More than $1 Million in ‘Zuckerbucks’ Ahead of Vote to Ban Private Election Funding

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Milwaulkee Skyline

Milwaukee has accepted more than $1 million in “Zuckerbucks” — the injection of private money into public election administration — just weeks before Wisconsin residents will vote on whether to ban such funds.

The city of Milwaukee, which previously accepted “Zuckerbucks” in 2020, has received a new form of the private funding over two separate grants just weeks prior to Wisconsin voters deciding whether to approve a state constitutional amendment banning “Zuckerbucks.”

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After Russian Terror Attack, Prominent Lawmakers Warn ISIS-K Could Strike U.S.

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Michael McCaul

As the world absorbs the horror of the ISIS-K slaughter inside a Russian concert hall, prominent members of Congress are warning the Afghan-based terror group could strike inside the United States.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul said Sunday the threat of an attack was heightened by President Joe Biden‘s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan, which gave ISIS-K  a breeding ground to train and carry out attacks.

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Possible Bankruptcy for EV Maker Fisker as Industry Hit with Declining Consumer Interest

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Fisker electric vehicle on beach with people playing

Electric-vehicle startup Fisker may file for bankruptcy as the declining pace of consumer demand weighs upon the struggling company.

In a March 15 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company warned investors that “Fisker did not make a required interest payment of approximately $8.4 million payable in cash on March 15, 2024 (the “Interest Payment”) with respect to Fisker’s unsecured 2.50% convertible notes” and that “the Company has a 30-day grace period to make the Interest Payment.”

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Congress Probing Whether IRS Plyng AI to Invade Americans’ Financial Privacy

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Jim Jordan and Harriet Hageman

The House Judiciary Committee has opened an inquiry to whether the IRS is using artificial intelligence to invade Americans’ financial privacy after an agency employee was captured in an undercover tape suggesting there was a widespread surveillance operation underway that might not be constitutional.

Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., sent a letter last week to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen demanding documents, and answers as to how the agency is currently employing artificial intelligence to comb through bank records to look for possible tax cheats. 

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Survey Finds Nearly 70 Percent of Small Businesses View Gen Z Employees as ‘Least Reliable’

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Office Work

America’s newest entrants into the workforce aren’t making an early favorable impression: 68% of small business owners believe that Generation Z employees are the “least reliable” of their workforce, according to a new Freedom Economy Index survey.

The survey, a product of the Red Balloon job site and the Public Square shopping site, was released Thursday and also found that less than 4% of businesses found that Gen. Z “most aligns with their workplace culture.”

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Georgia Election Official Seeking New Term Voted on Cases Involving His Lobbyist Clients

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Edward Lindsey

Georgia State Election Board (SEB) member Edward Lindsey is up for reconfirmation before the state House amid new revelations that he has voted on cases involving counties for which he is a lobbyist.

Lindsey, who was appointed to the SEB position on Jan. 7, 2022, is a lobbyist for both Cobb County and DeKalb County, according to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. The two counties are among the top five most populous in Georgia, which has 159 counties.

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Impeachment Probe Dramatically Pivots to Questions of CIA, DOJ Coverup in Hunter Biden Case

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After a bombastic hearing with Hunter Biden’s business partners, House impeachment investigators are dramatically pivoting to allegations of a possible coverup in the first son’s criminal tax case as the inquiry transitions to a new phase.

On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee sued the Justice Department seeking to force two attorneys there to comply with subpoenas and testify about whether there was any political interference in Hunter Biden’s tax prosecution.

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Energy Secretary Insists Energy Stockpiles Will Be Refilled in 2024, but Experts are Skeptical

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Secretary Jennifer Granholm

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Monday that the nation’s energy stockpiles, which President Joe Biden depleted to its lowest level since the 1980s, will be refilled by the end of 2024.

“By the end of this year we will essentially be back to where we would have been absent the sales,” Granholm said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas, according to AFP.

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Politicians of All Stripes Focus on Post-Election Audits Before 2024 General Election Even Happens

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Poll workers counting ballots

Various state legislators are focusing on post-election audits ahead of the November 2024 general election, with Republicans looking to implement or improve audits in some states, while Democrats in one state are trying to prevent an audit of the presidential election.

Post-election audits have been on the books of some states for years, most famously, the “hanging chad recount” fought over in 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore, which was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. The issue of post-election audits and the ensuing litigation has received renewed attention since the 2020 presidential election, after numerous irregularities were discovered. The Arizona Senate post-election audit was one of the more famous following the 2020 race. Dispositive evidence that irregularities “moved the needle” one way or another is still a point of contention.

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Conservatives Push to Stop Biden’s Open Border Policies with Funding Bill Before Friday Deadline

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Speaker Mike Johnson

House conservatives are pushing for House Speaker Mike Johnson to stop President Biden’s “open border” policies with the federal funding bill that Congress has to pass before a Friday deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Congress has passed six appropriations bills in the form of a “minibus” spending package to fund certain cabinet agencies but both the House and Senate still have to pass another package to fund the remaining agencies.

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White House Pressure to Censor Social Media No Worse than Yelling at Journalists, SCOTUS Suggests

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Federal officials privately scold reporters and attempt to shape or even stop their coverage on a regular basis, without getting sued for First Amendment violations.

How close is that to White House aides privately and repeatedly badgering their counterparts at social media companies and President Biden publicly accusing Facebook of “killing people,” for insufficient censorship of disfavored narratives on COVID-19?

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Olympian Caitlyn Jenner Supports Ban on Trans Athletes on Teams not Matching Biological Sex

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Caitlyn Jenner

Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner expressed support for a New York county official’s order that bans women’s sports teams that include biological male athletes and men’s sports teams that include biological female athletes from using county-owned facilities.

Jenner, who came out as a transgender woman in 2015, focused on transgender women competing in women’s sports during an event Monday alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

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Cassidy Hutchinson’s Ex-Lawyer Cleared by Disciplinary Panels After January 6 Committee Allegations

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Attorney Stefan Passantino

Stefan Passantino, the lawyer who represented Democrats’ Jan. 6 star witness Cassidy Hutchinson in her early interactions with Congress, has been cleared by legal ethics investigators in both Washington, D.C. and Georgia regarding complaints that he engaged in improper conduct in his representation of Hutchinson.

In Washington, D.C., allegations of attorney misconduct are reviewed by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. In Georgia, the practice of law is regulated by a State Disciplinary Board, made up of volunteers who are appointed by the Supreme Court and the State Bar president for three-year terms. The state Supreme Court has final approval of any decision made by the board.

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Trump Unable to Secure $454 Million Appeal Bond in New York Civil Fraud Case, his Attorneys Say

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Donald Trump, courtroom

Former President Donald Trump has been unable to secure the $454 million bond, the full amount of the civil fraud judgment against him, which he must post in order to appeal, his attorneys said in a filing Monday.

Trump offered last month to post a $100 million appeal bond rather than the full amount as the process plays out in court, but the judge denied the proposal.

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Elon Musk Defends Trump and Slams Establishment Media for Taking Quote Out of Context

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Donald Trump hold a rally in Ohio

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is defending former President Donald Trump on Sunday after multiple establishment media outlets ran headlines stating that the former president warned the U.S. would see a “bloodbath” if he is not reelected. 

Although Trump did use the word “bloodbath” during a speech in Ohio on Saturday, outlets such as NPR, Politico, The Hill, NBC News, The New York Times and others used the term in headlines without context. Musk said the headlines were “legacy media lies” and he made multiple posts Sunday criticizing their use of the term and stressing the need for context.  

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Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to Close 1,000 Stores After $1.71 Billion Net Loss

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Family Dollar Store

Dollar Tree and its subsidiary, Family Dollar, will close 1,000 stores following a net loss of $1.71 billion over three months, the discount retailer said Wednesday.

The company plans to close about 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of this year and allow about 370 Family Dollar stores and 30 Dollar Tree stores to close over the next few years at the end of their lease terms.

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Hunter Biden’s Partners: A Rogues’ Gallery of Corruption, Indictments, and Charges of Treason

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Hunter Biden and his associates, in their foray into the world of international deal-making, worked with a rogue’s gallery of foreign partners who were under investigation in their home countries or were convicted in the United States.

In certain cases, the Biden team appeared to use this to their advantage, extracting concessions in exchange for assistance in the United States.

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Riley Gaines Announces Lawsuit Against NCAA over Transgender Policies

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Riley Gaines

Former college swimmer Riley Gaines and 15 other college athletes on Thursday announced a lawsuit against the NCAA over its transgender policies. 

“I’m suing the NCAA along with 15 other collegiate athletes who have lost out on titles, records, & roster spots to men posing as women,” Gaines wrote on the social media platform, X. “The NCAA continues to explicitly violate the federal civil rights law of Title IX. About time someone did something about it.”

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Conservative Publication Launches $1 Million Lawsuit Against Celebrity Pennsylvania Climate Scientist

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Michael Mann

The National Review is suing Penn State climate celebrity scientist Michael Mann for $1 million. “We cannot recover the time and effort that Mann has wasted, but we can recover more than a million of the dollars that we have lost defending our unalienable right to free speech,” the Review’s editors wrote Wednesday.

Mann won a defamation suit against two conservative writers who had criticized his “hockey stick” graph, which other climate scientists have questioned. Mann and his colleagues say the research demonstrates a sharp rise in unprecedented temperatures in the past few decades.

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