At Least 1.5 Million Illegal Southwest Border Crossers Reported in Fiscal Year 2024

Migrants in Group

A minimum of 1,525,210 foreign nationals illegally crossed the Southwest U.S. border in fiscal 2024, according to preliminary data The Center Square exclusively obtained from a Border Patrol agent on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The data excludes Office of Field Operations data, gotaway data (those who illegally entered and evaded capture), and northern border apprehension data, meaning the overall number is likely much higher.

Read the full story

Trump’s Butler Rally to Feature Comperatore Family, July 13 Rally First Responders, Elon Musk

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump on Friday announced the guest list for his Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin on July 13.

The Trump campaign announced the former president “will return to Butler, Pennsylvania to hold a rally on the very same ground where he took a bullet for democracy less than three months ago.” It included a list of more than 50 “special guests” who will be in attendance.

Read the full story

Commentary: Unchecked Immigration Has Transformed America

Illegal Immigrants

The United States is deep into a season of severe discontent. Our politics are polarized, our Congress is moribund, and our purchasing power has tumbled. A Gallup poll in early 2024 showed that only 20 percent of Americans are satisfied with the “way things are going.” Nearly 70 percent believe the country is on the “wrong track.”

While innumerable failures of government factor into this public cynicism, evidence suggests that U.S. immigration policy is among its most powerful components. Despite our self-image as a “nation of immigrants” and our public celebration of “diversity,” a growing number of Americans sense that immigration, especially in its most frenzied illegal form of the past three years, is implicated in some of the country’s most vexing problems.

Read the full story

Whitmer to Sign Bills Unionizing Family Caregivers in Michigan

Caregivers

Two bills awaiting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature would unionize the home caregiver field in Michigan by creating a replica of a state council that voters overwhelmingly repealed in 2012.

Senate bills 790 and 791 would create the Home Help Caregiving Council, which would classify home caregivers as employees of the state rather than employees of the person they care for. This would allow the Service Employees International Union to collect dues out of caregivers’ Medicaid subsidies for the purposes of collective bargaining. 

Read the full story

Arizona Sued for Withholding Names of over 200,000 Registered Voters Who Did Not Provide Proof of Citizenship

Adrian Fontes

America First Legal on Thursday announced a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for refusing to hand over the names of over 200,000 registered voters who have allegedly not provided proof of citizenship.

Fontes is breaking the law by refusing to comply with a records request that demands the names of roughly 218,000 individuals who are registered to vote, but did not provide proof of citizenship, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit comes just weeks before Election Day, with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remaining in a dead heat in the state.

Read the full story

Trump-Vance Ticket Has Done 63 Interviews Compared to 23 for Harris-Walz: Fox News Analysis

Tim Walz and Kamala Harris

A Fox News analysis released on Friday found that former President Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance have done a combined 63 interviews compared to 23 for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn.

Harris has not done a formal news conference in 75 days since emerging as the presumptive Democratic nominee after Biden left the 2024 race.

Read the full story

Only 28 Percent of Americans Think Country on Right Track One Month Until Election Day: Polling Data

Kamala Harris Speaking

A CNN analyst said it’s a “bad sign” for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, that just 28% of Americans think the country is on the right track one month before the general election takes place.

“Simply put, it would be historically unprecedented,” if Harris wins, said CNN analyst Harry Enten on Friday during a live segment about the poll.

Read the full story

Music Spotlight: Cali Tucker

Cali Tucker

When I saw the music video for Cali Tucker’s “Country Couture,” it was evident that she was a natural-born entertainer. My assumptions were correct. Cali Tucker is LaCosta Tucker’s daughter and Tanya Tucker’s niece.

She recalls growing up backstage and touring on the bus. She explained, “At the end of the show, they’d invite us to come out on stage and wave at the crowd. That’s what really hooked me- the energy. It was the life, the happiness, the joy. It was very intoxicating at a young age.”

Read the full story

Michael Patrick Leahy: Tim Walz’s Answer on His Trip to China During Vice Presidential Debate Was Meant to Cover Up His More Troubling Connection to the CCP

Tim Walz and JD Vance

EJ Haust, a digital marketing expert and former journalist who lived in Minnesota for 12 years before relocating to Tennessee, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, said they believe Minnesota Governor Tim Walz may have “mangled” his answer during Tuesday’s night’s vice presidential debate when he was pressed on his trip to Hong Kong, China in 1989 to cover up his deeper connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

During Tuesday night’s debate against U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH), CBS moderator Margaret Brennan pressed Walz on his false claim that he was in China in the spring of 1989 as the Tiananmen Square protests took place.

Read the full story

Report: ‘High Risk Noncitizens’ Without IDs Flying Across U.S.

Illegal Immigrants

Twenty-three years after Islamic terrorists used airplanes to conduct the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, the federal agency created to protect Americans from national security threats “cannot ensure they are keeping high-risk noncitizens without identification from entering the country.”

The potentially high-risk noncitizens are being flown on domestic flights without identification, creating a public safety risk, according to the latest Office of Inspector General report assessing several federal agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Read the full story

September Job Growth Exceeds Expectations as Unemployment Falls

Job Interview

The U.S. added 254,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in September as the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.

Economists expected 150,000 jobs to be added in September, slightly higher than the initially reported 142,000 job gain in August, and the unemployment rate to remain at 4.2%, according to MarketWatch. Meanwhile, previously reported job gains for July and August were revised up by 55,000 and 17,000, respectively, breaking a trend under the Biden-Harris administration of overestimating employment growth in initial estimates, with the cumulative number of new jobs reported in 2023 roughly 1.3 million less than previously thought.

Read the full story

Jack Smith’s Use of Obstruction Law Limited by Supreme Court ‘Fatally Undermines’ Case, Trump Attorneys Argue

Supreme Court

Special counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case falls apart under recent Supreme Court precedent, former President Donald Trump’s attorneys said Thursday.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Fischer v. United States, which scaled back the Biden-Harris Department of Justice’s (DOJ) overbroad use of an obstruction statute designed to target corporate document shredding against Jan. 6 defendants, “fatally undermines” two counts and requires dismissing two others, Trump’s attorneys wrote.

Read the full story

Jeremy Faison: Starlink Has Been a ‘Massive Lifeline’ to Connect Those Impacted by Hurricane Helene to the Outside World

Jeremy Faison

Tennessee State Representative and House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) said Starlink units being delivered and installed in areas of East Tennessee decimated by flash flooding from Hurricane Helene have been a “lifeline” for residents who remain without a connection to the outside world.

On Monday, Faison began collaborating with Tennessee political commentator Robby Starbuck, who has purchased and donated more than 20 Starlink units, to connect those in East Tennessee stranded in rural areas left without power.

Read the full story

FEMA Denies Confiscating Hurricane Relief Supplies, Contradicting Claims by SpaceX Engineer Shared by Elon Musk

FEMA worker

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) twice denied to The Tennessee Star that it is confiscating hurricane relief supplies in Tennessee, North Carolina, or any area recovering from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene.

The denials come despite Elon Musk, the owner of Space X, reporting that one of his company’s engineers said supplies were confiscated by the federal agency in Asheville, North Carolina, where the world’s richest man is supplying volunteers with Starlink devices to restore Internet connectivity to the rural communities.

Read the full story

Congressman Scott DesJarlais Sends Letter to ICE Deputy Director Demanding Accurate Data on Crimes Being Committed by Juvenile Illegal Immigrants

U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner on Thursday requesting accurate data regarding crimes committed by juvenile illegal immigrants.

As of July 21, 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories were on ICE’s national docket, which includes both those detained by ICE and those on the agency’s non-detained docket.

Read the full story

National Archives Delays Release of Biden VP Records with Hunter Biden Info until After Election

Joe Biden

The Department of Justice notified a legal group suing for Joe Biden’s vice presidential records that president’s lawyers claimed an extension, blocking the release of the records until after the election.

America First Legal sued for the records—communications involving Hunter and James Biden about several business dealings—in 2022. The group has struggled to obtain records in a timely fashion, delayed by the Archives and the Biden administration.

Read the full story

Property Tax Reduction Plans Stalled at Ohio Statehouse

Allison Russo

by J.D. Davidson   Three of four bills targeting rising property taxes in Ohio have been sitting in committees for more than a year without a vote or public opposition. And Ohio lawmakers have no plans to return to work until mid-November. That has Democratic leaders at the Statehouse pushing for immediate action. “House Democrats and local leaders have been fighting to lower property taxes and create a fairer system that doesn’t constantly rely on property owners to pick up the tab,” said House Minority Leader Allison Russo (pictured above), D-Upper Arlington. “We can lower our property taxes, reduce costs, and still support essential services by ensuring the state pays its fair share and returns more of our tax dollars to our community. It’s time for the state legislature to take action; Ohioans need help now.” Three of the four bills have bipartisan sponsorship, including the most recent – House Bill 645 that would give a $1,000 property tax rebate and $1 billion in tax relief to more than 1.3 million homeowners and renters after their tax payments exceed 5% of their income. That bill was recently introduced and has not been assigned to a committee. Three others, however, have…

Read the full story

Wisconsin DOJ Investigating Wausau Drop Box Removal by Mayor

Doug Diny

The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is now reportedly heading up the investigation into any wrongdoing by Wausau Mayor Doug Diny related to his removal of a ballot drop box that was not yet in use.

Diny told WISN-TV in Milwaukee that he worked with someone from Wausau’s maintenance department over the weekend to return the drop box, which was then opened to the public on Monday.

Read the full story

Ruben Gallego Reportedly Ends Police Press Conference After Questions About Past Criticism for Law Enforcement

Gallego Press Conference

Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) reportedly ended a press conference with Arizona law enforcement abruptly after reporters asked about his evolving stance on police reform.

A press release published by Gallego’s congressional office reveals he held the press conference alongside Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and Arizona Police Association (APA) President Justin Harris, who is also a member of the Glendale Police Department.

Read the full story

Commentary: The Way to Stop School Shootings

Student Teacher

The epidemic of school shootings in America could be drastically curtailed by a few simple policy changes.

First, school shooters should automatically receive the death penalty with only limited opportunities to appeal. The problem of frivolous appeals and court cases dragging on for decades afflicts our entire judicial system, but it is especially egregious in the case of school shootings.

Read the full story

Transgender Arizona State University Student Allegedly Assaults Kari Lake’s Daughter over Her Discussion of Donald Trump

Ruby Halperin

A transgender student at Arizona State University (ASU) allegedly assaulted Kari Lake’s daughter, Ruby Halperin, last week while she was registering voters on campus. According to the police report, Rebecca Kimpel threw his entire drink at her, hitting Halperin and her paperwork, and told ASU Police that she was upset about the students talking about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Kimpel was charged with assault and released.

Read the full story

Teen Accused of Georgia School Shooting Allegedly Threatened Mother with Rifle Three Weeks Earlier

Colt Gray

The teen accused of killing four at Apalachee High School on September 4 reportedly used a rifle to force his mother out of his bedroom just three weeks before the devastating attack, his grandmother said in a report published Thursday.

Just weeks before authorities say 14-year-old Colt Gray attacked Apalachee High School, the teen apparently used a rifle to force his mother out of a bedroom during a fight, his grandmother Debbie Polhamus told The Washington Post.

Read the full story

Feds Charge Five Michigan College Graduates from China Found near Military Site

University of Michigan sign

Federal prosecutors charged five University of Michigan graduates from China with several crimes on Tuesday night, after they were allegedly discovered at a military facility in northern Michigan last year.

The graduates were caught with cameras at the facility during a joint training exercise between U.S. national guardsmen and members of the Taiwanese military in August of 2023, according to the Detroit News.

Read the full story

CDC: Record Number of Kindergartners Had Vaccine Exemptions in 2023-24 School Year

COVID Vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday revealed that the 2023-2024 academic school year held the record for the most kindergartners declining at least one vaccination.

The CDC said a total of 3.3% of kindergartners nationwide, equaling 127,000 kindergartners, were granted exemptions on at least one vaccine, which beats the previous record of 3% in the 2022-2023 school year.

Read the full story

Legal Expert Phill Kline Says Vice Presidential Debate Will Influence Election

Phill Kline

Phill Kline, former Kansas Attorney General and current law professor at Liberty University School of Law, said two very different worldviews were presented by U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) during the vice presidential debate on Tuesday evening, which Kline said “will make a difference” in the November 5 general election.

Kline said Vance “won” Tuesday’s debate, hosted by CBS, as the Republican vice presidential nominee delivered a worldview and policy standpoints based on “reason” instead of “emotion.”

Read the full story

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Describes ‘Truly Catastrophic’ Scene in East Tennessee from Hurricane Helene

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) described the scene in areas impacted by flash flooding from Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee as “truly catastrophic” after two days of traveling to the area to meet with residents and survey the storm damage.

One week ago, flash flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated areas of East Tennessee, which has since left 11 dead, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Read the full story

‘A Danger to the U.S.’: Coalition Negotiating with Striking Dock Workers Represents China-Owned Shipping Company

Port Workers Strike

The coalition negotiating on behalf of employers in the ongoing dockworkers strike includes a Beijing-based shipping company, raising concern over potential Chinese economic and political influence.

Thousands of dockworkers at 14 different major ports along the East and Gulf Coasts went on strike shortly after midnight Thursday, with experts claiming the move could wreak havoc on U.S. supply chains and cost the economy as much as $5 billion a day. China Ocean Shipping Company’s (COSCO) membership in the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) — the group responsible for hammering out a deal with the port workers — means China could wield significant influence over the labor negotiations, according to experts who spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Read the full story

Tennessee Firearms Association Founder John Harris Slams State Law Prohibiting Use of Deadly Force to Defend Personal or Real Property

John Harris

Founder of the Tennessee Firearms Association and Second Amendment expert John Harris is bringing attention to Tennessee’s law prohibiting the use of deadly force to protect real or personal property.

Harris’ criticism of the statute, Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 39-11-611; 39-11-614, comes as residents in East Tennessee impacted by devastating flash flooding from Hurricane Helene are being warned of an increased possibility that looters may trespass on properties in areas affected by the weather looking for valuable property or essential supplies.

Read the full story

Mayorkas Bemoans Lack Of FEMA Cash for Hurricanes After Spending Nearly $1 Billion on Migrant Crisis

FEMA

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated over $1 billion for a migrant assistance program over the past two fiscal years, but now it is running out of cash for disaster relief as Hurricane Helene rages on and more storms loom.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Wednesday that FEMA does not have enough funds to make it through hurricane season, The Associated Press reported. Though resources are running short for Americans displaced by Helene, the agency spent big on a program providing “humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants” after their release from Department of Homeland Security custody.

Read the full story

Commentary: Vaccine Ad Blitz Sidestepped Transparency Rules

COVID Shot

“A bun in the toaster oven,” a woman exclaims off-camera, handing an ultrasound image to family members who erupt into tearful emotion over the news. “Oh my God!” 

The touching baby announcement video then gets down to business as text appears on the screen amidst the ongoing celebration, suggesting the best way to stay alive for this joyous birth is by becoming vaccinated against COVID-19. “Why will you get vaccinated? …  Because some people you just want to meet in person.” 

Read the full story

Eight Migrant Workers Arrested in Tennessee for Looting in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Eight migrant workers were arrested and charged over the weekend for allegedly looting properties in Washington County, Tennessee in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday that the group of eight men were taken into custody the day prior after deputies were patrolling the region impacted by the hurricane and arrested the men for allegedly looting properties in the 107 area of Washington County.

Read the full story

Election Results Likely to Be Delayed Nationwide by State Rules, Litigation, and Investigations

Counting or certification of the November election results are likely to be delayed nationwide, as states are promulgating different rules on receiving mail ballots, ongoing and likely election litigation, and possible investigations over irregularities, warns an election integrity proponent.

As the 2020 election results were delayed until Joe Biden was announced the winner of the presidential race the Saturday after Election Day, there will likely also be a delay in announcing this year’s presidential contest. The delays this year could be the result of a variety of factors, especially with such a close election, according to Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead.

Read the full story

Kamala Harris Names Anti-Gun Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones as Ideal Leader for New Generation

Kamala Harris and Justin Jones

Vice President Kamala Harris described controversial State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) as a prominent leader for young people during an interview with progressive social media publisher NowThis Impact released on Tuesday.

In the interview, Harris was asked by the liberal news organization to name five “ideal dinner guests,” and the vice president said Jones would have the fifth seat at a table largely seated with civil rights icons.

Read the full story

Commentary: Private Sector Should Drive Broadband Innovation, Not Big Government

Tommy Vallejos

by Tommy Vallejos   Most of you are probably reading this very article using the power of broadband internet, which attests to the importance of high-speed internet in connecting us, sharing ideas and gathering as communities. Access to reliable internet is powering every aspect of our lives, now starting from the earliest years of childhood – better connecting students to their education in urban and rural communities alike. Broadband gives rural entrepreneurs and small business owners the chance to connect with new customers, suppliers and business opportunities. Millions of Tennesseans are reaping the benefits of the internet on a daily basis, including many who don’t stop to give it a second thought. However, 200,000 of our neighbors in Tennessee still don’t have reliable access to high-speed internet. And many of those impacted tend to be Latinos in sparsely populated towns across our state. The good news is that additional federal resources have been allocated to states to help meet these broadband gaps, most of which are occurring in rural communities. We have Governor Bill Lee to thank for deploying these important funds. But we have to be careful because the federal government is prone to solutions that spend a lot…

Read the full story

Attorney Issues Videos with Evidence Refuting DOJ’s Report Alleging Wrongdoing by Phoenix Police Department

Police Badge

An attorney for the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS) is releasing videos refuting the Department of Justice’s June report, which claimed that the Phoenix Police Department violated the rights of suspects during various incidents. Steve Serbalik has issued five videos so far, revealing key details about the incidents that the DOJ selectively left out of its report.

One of the incidents involved an arrest for domestic violence, labeled U10. Serbalik explained in the video how the DOJ left out facts that exonerated the police officers. They were addressed in police reports, videos, and other data released by PPD to refute the report.

Read the full story

Trump Widens Georgia Lead over Harris as More Voters Now Hold Positive View of Former President, Quinnipiac Poll Shows

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

Former President Donald Trump has widened his lead in Georgia over Vice President Kamala Harris, according to data released by Quinnipiac pollsters on Wednesday that also shows more Georgians now hold a favorable view of the Republican than his Democratic opponent.

The Quinnipiac University Poll data for Georgia found Trump now leads with the support of 50 percent of likely voters in the Peach State, while Harris trailed at 44 percent, with an additional 3 percent supporting other candidates.

Read the full story

Pennsylvania Senate Nominee Dave McCormick Pitches ‘Special Operations and Drones’ to Confront Fentanyl Cartels in Mexico

Dave McCormick

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick on Wednesday expanded on his previous position that the United States should use its military to strike cartel installations in Mexico behind the illegal exporting of fentanyl over the southern border.

McCormick told The Associated Press he envisions the precision use of military resources to destroy facilities behind fentanyl production or transportation, which he said the country’s leaders should consider terrorism.

Read the full story

Commentary: Classical v. Unclassical Curricula

Teacher and Student

Chad Aldeman, a Virginia-based researcher who focuses on education-related issues, recently detailed the educational experience of his daughter, who completed sixth grade in June. He writes that her teachers didn’t use textbooks, assign homework, or expect kids to study at home for tests, didn’t teach kids to sound out words, and didn’t drill times tables. He also mentions that there were no spelling tests, students didn’t practice handwriting of any kind, cursive or otherwise, and didn’t learn the 50 states and their capitals, let alone world geography.

Aldeman is very concerned by this shift, arguing that her educational experience has “reduced instructional time devoted to science and social studies and emphasized isolated skills such as critical thinking or reading comprehension over teaching students a coherent body of knowledge and facts.”

Read the full story

Poll: Trump Would Win the Florida Hispanic Vote with Strong Support from Cuban Americans

Cubans for Trump

A survey published this Tuesday shows how Cuban-American voters in Florida would become a key support for Republican candidate Donald Trump a few weeks before the general elections in the United States.

The revelation came to light after a survey conducted by Telemundo Station Group and Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. in the Sunshine State, revealing the decisions Latino voters would make in this year’s presidential election.

Read the full story

Arizona Secretary of State Admits ‘We Don’t Know’ Number of Non-Citizens Registered to Vote After Ditching AZGOP Meeting

People Voting

Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chair Gina Swoboda told The Arizona Sun Times that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes did not contact her office to reschedule a meeting this week to discuss the 218,000 registered voters who may not be citizens of the United States.

It was revealed last month that Arizona does not have proof of citizenship records for nearly 100,000 voters in Arizona. A second election integrity issue was raised by Fontes to Swoboda on Friday, when the AZGOP chair issued a press release announcing a meeting was scheduled between the Secretary of State and the party.

Read the full story

Harris-Walz Court Georgia’s Black Farmers Months After Court Blocks Biden Ag Program Exclusively Aiding Minority Farms

The Harris-Walz campaign reportedly drew more than 100 black farmers and supporters in Byromville, Georgia on Sunday as it targets rural voters in the Peach State in a bid to repeat the party’s 2020 victory.

Huffington Post deputy editor Philip Lewis reported the Harris-Walz occurred at Jibb’s Vineyard, which he described as a black-owned vineyard, and said it focused “on rural Black farmers.”

Read the full story