Gas Prices Reach $5 Per Gallon for First Time in Phoenix

Phoenix residents are feeling the effects of the highest gasoline prices in American history, as Tuesday marked the first day that the city’s average price for a gallon per gas was $5. 

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price per gallon of gas in Phoenix Tuesday was exactly $5, an 11 cent jump from Monday’s average of $4.89, and a 28 cent jump from last Tuesday’s average of $4.72. A month ago, the average price of a gallon of gas in the city was $4.56. 

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Pima County Democrats Say Republicans Sponsoring ‘White Supremacy’

The Pima County Democratic Party has joined in the chorus of far-left Democrats who are blaming Republicans for Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo, that left 10 people dead. 

“White Supremacy is not mental illness, it is intentional radicalization of large groups of people, with the purpose of conducting terror operations,” the group said on Twitter. “It is enabled and often sponsored by Republican lawmakers. It is weaponized by [Fox News]. It is tearing our nation apart.”

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Forty-Eight Year Georgia State Rep Chosen as Ambassador to Bahamas

After serving for nearly a half-century in the Georgia General Assembly, a former Democrat State House Representative has been appointed by President Joe Biden to become the United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. 

“Calvin Smyre has served for 48 years as an elected Representative in the Georgia State Assembly, and was Chairman of the Democratic Caucus within the Assembly for over a decade and still serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Caucus,” the White House said in an announcement of Calvin Smyre’s (D-District 135) appointment. “He is the ‘Dean’ of the Georgia House of Representatives and serves on the Appropriations, Rules, and Higher Education Committees. Smyre is President Emeritus of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL), and a member of the National Conference of State Legislators.”

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CBP Launches Anti-Smuggling Effort at Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) this week announced a digital advertising campaign geared towards would be illegal aliens who are considering using Mexican cartel smugglers, called “Coyotes,” in order to enter the United States. 

“The ads deliver a clear message: smugglers are lying to you, the fact is that entering the United States illegally is a crime,” CBP said. “The ads highlight that smugglers, known as ‘coyotes,’ who take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants.”

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John’s Hopkins: Professor Who Defended Pedophilia Will ‘Enhance’ Work of Child Sex Abuse Prevention Center

After it hired a former Old Dominion University (ODU) professor who stepped down after making comments defending pedophilia, John’s Hopkins University (JHU) Saturday defended its newest academic.

“[Allyn] Walker is a leader in the field of perpetration prevention research, which is essential for developing a comprehensive public health approach to addressing child sexual abuse and effective prevention programs,” Maria Blackburn, the Communications Manager at the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, told The Virginia Star

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Virginia Commonwealth University Will Raise Tuition in 2022-2023 Academic Year

As consumer prices and inflation soar, a public university in Virginia has decided to raise the cost of tuition before the next academic year. 

“The Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors voted Friday to set tuition and fees for the 2022-23 academic year. Tuition will increase by 3%, the first tuition increase for undergraduate students since the 2018-19 academic year,” Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) said in a Friday statement. “The increase is necessary to cover VCU’s share of anticipated salary increases for faculty, staff and adjuncts; to increase student support; and to address the higher costs of maintenance and utilities.”

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Trump Slams Republicans Supporting Kemp in Re-Election Bid

Former President Donald J. Trump is taking out his frustrations as current and former governors from across the country continue to support Gov. Brian Kemp (R), a political enemy of the former president, for reelection in Georgia. 

“Today, the worst ‘election integrity’ Governor in the country, Brian Kemp, loaded the great state of Georgia up with RINOs. That’s right, he had them all,” Trump said in Wednesday statement. “Chris Christie, Doug Ducey from Arizona, and Pete Ricketts from Nebraska. That tells you all you need to know about what you are getting in Georgia—just a continuation of bad elections and a real RINO if you vote for Brian Kemp.”

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Vance Reacts to Ryan’s Vote to Send $40 Billion to Ukraine

Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate nominee Thursday raised against a bill that will send $40 billion to Ukraine, citing problems that the United States has domestically. 

“I don’t think we should be spending any more money, unless it’s on America’s problems here at home,” J.D. Vance said Thursday. “I would make any additional aid for the Ukrainians conditional on sending money to the American southern border, on actually trying to fix this terrible shortage of baby formula and hospital supplies.”

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Biggs, Lesko Slam Biden for Ending American Oil Lease Sales

Amid surging gas prices and 40-year high inflation, a congressman Thursday reacted to the news that the Biden Administration has canceled domestic oil and gas lease sales. 

“Biden just canceled massive oil and gas lease sales in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico amid historic gas prices. Just wait for him to blame Putin for all of this!” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) said on Twitter.

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Judiciary Committee Letter Says Garland’s FBI Mobilized Against Parent Protestors

In a lengthy letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the House Judiciary Committee accuses the nation’s top attorney of lying under oath, and claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was deployed to monitor parents who have been protesting school board meetings nationwide. 

“It appears that the Biden Administration did in fact mobilize FBI counterterrorism resources to investigate parents for expressing protected political speech at school board meetings. This directly contradicts AG Merrick Garland’s sworn testimony,” said Parents Defending Education, a nonprofit group that advocates for parents rights. 

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Filed Against DeSantis over Reedy Creek Special Status Abolishment

A lawsuit filed be residents of Orange and Osceola counties against Gov. Ron DeSantis in the wake of the Governor’s battle with Disney has been struck down. 

Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Cecilia Maria Altonaga Tuesday issued her order summarily dismissing the lawsuit, which challenged DeSantis after he stripped Reedy Creek, home to Disney’s theme park, of its special status. 

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Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears Joins Lawsuit to Protect Race-Neutral College Admissions

Virginia’s lieutenant governor has joined a brief of amici curiae in support of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., v. University of North Carolina, et al, two high-profile cases involving alleged discrimination in the colleges’ admissions processes.

“It is time to end the policies of college selection based on race, which is counter to equal treatment under the law. University-sponsored and supported charter schools, the expansion of scholarships for low-income students, and improved student testing methods will help provide increased diversity at universities,” Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) said in a statement. “The right to a good education doesn’t come at the expense of denying another the right as well. We learn from history that we don’t learn from history. We are not about to deny educational rights to Asian children. Rather, we must ensure that all children have access to educational opportunities.”

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Arizona Republicans, Others Sound Off on $40 Billion Ukraine Deal

The few dissenters from the U.S. House of Representatives who opposed a bill sending $40 billion to Ukraine while inflations crushes Americans are expressing their displeasure over the bill’s passage. 

“Biden wants to send FORTY BILLION that has been taken from taxpayers to Ukraine while our borders remain wide open with historic crossings. This Regime prioritizes every other country before it even thinks about our own – this is the definition of America Last. I VOTE NO!” said Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), who was one of 57 Republicans to vote against the spending package. 

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Virginia Attorney General Encourages Law Enforcement to Act Against SCOTUS Protestors

As Democrat extremists continue to encourage protests outside the homes of United States Supreme Court Justices, Virginia’s attorney general is urging localities to take action.

“Section 18.2-419 of the Code of Virginia states that protesting in front of an individual’s private residence is a class 3 misdemeanor. Under Virginia law, local Commonwealth’s Attorneys are responsible for prosecuting violations of this statute. Attorney General Miyares urges every Commonwealth’s Attorney to put their personal politics aside and enforce the law,” Victoria LaCivita, spokeswoman for Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) told The Virginia Star Tuesday. 

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Portman Slams Biden After President Blames Republicans for Record Inflation

A U.S. Senator from Ohio Tuesday slammed President Joe Biden for record gas prices and sky-high inflation after Biden blamed Republicans, despite the fact that Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the White House. 

“The Biden admin & its policies are responsible for the soaring inflation we see today. Inflation has risen every single month since [Biden] took office. The admin’s reckless spending policies combined with increased regulation have caused the worst inflation in 40 years,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) said. 

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Georgia’s Cobb County GOP Reports Problems with New Voting System

Just months after Georgia’s Secretary of State announced that the state’s voter registration management system would be changed, one county is reporting issues as early voting for the May 24 primary elections begins. 

“Unfortunately, the 2022 Primary Advance Voting began with multiple issues at polling locations throughout Cobb County,” the Cobb County Republican Party said in a May 5 statement. “Since the polls opened on Monday, May 2, 2022, problems have included poll pad voter data being missing and incorrect information on certain ballots; some ballots excluded a State Representative race and some ballots excluded the Cityhood referendums. Since our vote is anonymous, once a ballot is cast there is no way to rectify an issue.”

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Pope Francis Names New Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland

The pope has named a new auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.

“Pope Francis has appointed the Rev. Michael G. Woost as auxiliary bishop of Cleveland,” according to the Diocese. “Bishop-elect Woost is a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland and currently serves as a member of the faculty of Saint Mary Seminary. In addition, he was recently appointed as the interim director of the diocesan Office for Worship. Bishop-elect Woost will be ordained to the episcopate during Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on Thursday, August 4, 2022.”

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Florida Congressman Leads Letter to DHS Head over ‘Disinformation Governance Board’

A Republican U.S. Congressman from Florida Thursday issued a letter, signed by 170 colleagues, to the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after that executive branch agency announced the formation of a chilling new board aimed at tackling “disinformation.”

“The creation of this Disinformation Governance Board is an alarming attempt by the Biden administration to use the Department as a political tool,” said Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL-15) of the letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “DHS has no business determining what is and is not disinformation. This ‘Ministry of Truth’ will undermine the public’s confidence in the Department’s mission to protect the homeland and will tarnish its reputation. This is especially concerning as Americans continue to suffer a drug epidemic and have safety concerns with DHS’s failure to properly secure our border.”

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Georgia Attorney General Silent After Texas, Others Leave NAAG

Mum is is the word from the Georgia Attorney General’s office after several of its counterparts this week cut ties with its national organization, called the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). 

Attorney General Chris Carr’s office did not return several comment requests from The Georgia Star News seeking clarification about whether the state intends to remain a part of NAAG.

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Hagerty Presses Energy Secretary on Biden’s Overseas Deal

A U.S. Senator Wednesday pressed a high-level member of President Joe Biden’s administration over his and his son Hunter’s ties with overseas energy companies. 

“Do you think it was appropriate for Vice President Biden to conduct foreign policy in the Ukraine while an influential Ukrainian energy company called Burisma was paying his son a million dollars a year to serve on its board, or while a Russian billionaire was providing millions of dollars to Hunter Biden at the same time that Hunter Biden was apparently paying his father’s business—or living expenses?” asked Sen. Bill Hargerty (R-TN).

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Kemp Signs Bills to Ban Vaccine Passports, Ensure Free Speech on Campus

As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, Georgia’s governor Tuesday signed a bill into law banning state and local governments from requiring vaccine passports. 

SB 345 bans “proof of any vaccination of any person as a condition of providing any service or access to any facility, issuing any license, permit, or other type of authorization, or performing any duty of such agency,” and says that state and local governments cannot “through any rule, regulation, ordinance, resolution, or other action … require that any person or private entity require proof of vaccination of any person as a condition of providing any service or access to any facility, or as a condition of such person or private entity’s performance of any regular activity by such person or private entity.”

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Human Events Media Group Acquires The Post Millennial

Human Events Media Group announced Tuesday that it has acquired Canadian-based conservative media outlet The Post Millennial, according to a press release. 

“I am thrilled with the incredibly deep and diverse platform this combination creates,” said financier Jeff Webb, who brokered the deal. “Our talent lineup is second to none. This is a new media powerhouse that will constructively influence the political dialogue in this country while simultaneously challenging some of the largest, most-established publications. We are positioned to grow, and to grow fast.”

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Ohio Right to Life Reacts to Supreme Court Abortion Case Leak

Ohio Right to Life Tuesday reacted after a leaked draft of an opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the infamous Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal at the federal level, was published in German-owned Politico. 

Mary Parker, the Director of Legislative Affairs at Ohio Right to Life, emphasized that if the leaked opinion holds, abortion will not be made illegal, but decisions about whether abortion should be legal will be left up to individual states.

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Youngkin in ‘Utter Disbelief’ over Supreme Court Decision Leak

Virginia’s Governor Tuesday reacted strongly to the news that the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) confidentiality had been violated, and a draft of its decision in a high-profile abortion case has been released. 

“I am in utter disbelief that the sacred confidentiality of the Supreme Court would be violated in this manner,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in a press release.

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SCOTUS Authenticates Leaked Document, Orders Investigation

A message from the Public Information Office of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) says a report in German-owned Politico containing a leaked draft of the Court’s opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade is authentic.

“Yesterday, a news organization published an opinion in a pending case,” said the statement from the Court. “Justices circulate draft opinions internally as a routine and essential part of the Court’s confidential deliberative work. Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position on the issues of the case.”

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Apple Employees Say They Don’t Want to Return to a ‘Whiter,’ ‘Male-Dominated’ Office

As computer giant Apple considers bringing employees back to work in person while the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, some of those employees are worried that returning to work in person will make the company less diverse. 

“Apple will likely always find people willing to work here, but our current policies requiring everyone to relocate to the office their team happens to be based in, and being in the office at least 3 fixed days of the week, will change the makeup of our workforce,” said an open letter written by employees. “It will make Apple younger, whiter, more male-dominated, more neuro-normative, more able-bodied, in short, it will lead to privileges deciding who can work for Apple, not who’d be the best fit.”

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Vance Campaign Confident, Others Say Race Is ‘Wide Open’ Before Primary Election

With the deadline to vote in Ohio’s primary races approaching Tuesday night, the top candidates in the hotly-contested Republican U.S. Senate battle have varying views on what the outcome of the race will be. 

“We’re spending the day before the election with voters at town halls all across Ohio, leaving no stone unturned. JD is in a strong position, and we are confident JD will be the Republican nominee,” said Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for candidate J.D. Vance. 

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Twitter Unlocks The Tennessee Star Account

After about 24 hours of being locked out, The Tennessee Star’s Twitter account has been unlocked, and its full functionality restored. 

“After The Tennessee Star reported a factual story on Friday about Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) signing a bill into law making Ivermectin available over-the-counter, Twitter has locked The Tennessee Star out of its account,” The Star reported Saturday.

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Petition to Discharge Rep. Steube’s Transgender Sports Bill Garners More than 60 Signatures in House

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives this week are working to force a floor vote a bill authored by a Florida Congressman that would ban biological males from competing in female athletics. 

“I, Jim Banks, move to discharge the Committee on Education and Labor from the consideration of the bill (H.R. 426) entitled, a bill to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth, which was referred to said committee January 21st, 2021, in support of which motion the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives affix their signatures…” said a Discharge Petition authored by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN-03). 

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Kemp Signs Bill to Help Parents Challenge Obscene School Library Books

In a victory for parental rights, a bill Thursday was signed into law giving Georgia’s parents the right to challenge books and other school materials that they find offensive.

“No later than January 1, 2023, each local board of education shall adopt a complaint class resolution policy for its local school system to be used to address complaints submitted by parents or permanent guardians alleging that material that is harmful to minors has been provided or is currently available to a student enrolled in the local school system who is a child of such parent or permanent guardian,” SB 226 says. 

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Mandel Backer Club for Growth Releases Ad Attacking Trump for Past Endorsements

In a surprising turn of events, backers of former Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, currently running in a crowded and hotly-contested primary for U.S. Senate, released an ad bashing former President Donald Trump.

The Club for Growth, which has endorsed Mandel, released an ad questioning endorsements made by the former president, including that of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), just two weeks after Trump endorsed Mandel’s opponent J.D. Vance in the primary battle.

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Progressive Wing of Virginia Democrat House Ousts Filler-Corn as Minority Leader

The highest-ranking member in the Democrat Party’s House of Delegates was ousted in an effort led by the progressive wing of her own party.

“I thank the people of Virginia and my colleagues in the House of Delegates for allowing me to serve as the first woman and first person of Jewish faith to serve as Speaker in the 403-year history of our Commonwealth — truly the honor of my life,” Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) said. “I was proud of all that we accomplished after taking the majority in 2019 and was willing to step up as Minority Leader once more to regain that majority. Our caucus is made up of 48 talented and diverse individuals and I look forward to working with them to retake the majority.”

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