Georgia officials are awarding $1 million in grants to increase mental health access for military members, veterans and their families.
Last year, state lawmakers passed House Bill 414 to create the Veterans Mental Health Services Program under the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed the measure into law on April 25, 2023.
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Federal regulations added record-breaking costs of $2.1 trillion for the average American in 2023, according to a study from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released Tuesday.
The eye-popping sum, which incorporates the calculated impact of federal regulations as well as compliance costs, resulted in a “hidden tax” of $15,788 per U.S. household, and was equivalent to nearly 8 percent of GDP, the CEI’s annual “Ten Thousand Commandments” report found. The Biden administration helped drive the surge in regulatory costs, completing 97 rules with costs of $100 million or more.
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Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) celebrated on Tuesday after the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act with bipartisan support.
Blackburn wrote in a post to the social media platform X that the legislation passing the Senate is “a big step to protect” minor children from online harms, and noted Congress last passed legislation with that goal in 1998, when it passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
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A bipartisan child online safety bills passed on Tuesday in the Senate 91-3.
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A campaign official for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris acknowledged Wednesday that the vice president is deliberately misleading voters about Project 2025.
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The University of St. Thomas will “increase the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics…teachers, particularly teachers of color, who work in the community,” with the aid of $1.1 million in taxpayer dollars.
The Catholic university in St. Paul received the federal grant with the assistance of Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Congresswoman Betty McCollum, according to a news release.
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Department of Homeland Security director Alejandro Mayorkas is assembling a 45-day “independent security review” of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13. For this task Mayorkas selected: Chief David Mitchell, the former superintendent of Maryland State Police and former Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the State of Delaware; Mark Filip, a former federal judge and Deputy Attorney General to President George W. Bush; Ms. Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush; and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Her stint in that job gives the people cause to wonder.
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Experts claimed in an article published Saturday by The Washington Post that the results of the 2024 elections in Pennsylvania could be delayed because state lawmakers did not pass bills that would allow election workers to begin processing mail-in ballots prior to Election Day.
Because Pennsylvania does not allow its election workers to pre-canvass mail-in votes, which is the process of counting and validating the authenticity of the ballots, experts claim workers could need significant time after Election Day to determine which presidential candidate will carry the Keystone state’s Electoral College votes.
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an amicus brief Thursday on behalf of the Hanover County School Board, which barred a middle school male student identifying as a transgender girl from playing on the girls’ tennis team.
“Neither the federal Constitution nor any federal statute require Virginia school boards to allow biological males to play on a girls sports team,” Miyares said in a statement. “Rather, civil rights law is meant to protect female equity in athletics. I urge the court to ensure that women’s rights and opportunities remain protected in Virginia.”
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The Federal Reserve is expected to hold the bank’s key interest rate steady this week. Traders currently expect three rate cuts this year beginning in September. But, will the Fed deliver the first hint of a September rate cut?
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An op-ed under President Joe Biden’s byline in the Washington Post on Monday outlined his proposal to make major changes to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling for a Constitutional amendment to “ensure no president is above the law.”
“[T]he Supreme Courts decision on July 1 to grant presidents broad immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit in office means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do,” Biden wrote. “The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office.”
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The GOP-led House canceled votes ahead of the August recess without getting the 12 appropriations bills passed, breaking a promise to voters.
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Multiple researchers are finding evidence that an uptick in whale deaths over the last several years on the East Coast is most likely caused by offshore wind development projects. While the evidence mounts, environmental groups and federal agencies continue to deny any connection exists.
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During President Joe Biden’s address to the American public Wednesday night, he said his administration secured the border.
Without discussing border policies in his 10-minute address, he touted his efforts in two sentences, saying, “We are also securing our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office.”
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during a speech in Belem, Brazil, on Saturday that the price tag for a global transition to a low-carbon economy amounts to $78 trillion in financing through 2050.
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A spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign said on Friday that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would not seek a federal ban on fracking if she’s elected to the White House in November.
Harris previously claimed that she would support a ban on the technique during her initial run for the Oval Office in 2020, but the Biden administration has not sought such a ban.
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As state and federal policies mandate the electrification of virtually all end uses to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels. For example, 18 states have adopted California’s Advanced Clear Car II rules requiring increasing percentages of new vehicle sales to be EVs, reaching 100% for the 2035 model year. In 2019, New York City enacted Local Law 97, which requires all residential buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to convert to electricity by 2035. Other states, such as New Jersey seek to convert all residential heating to electricity.
Together, mandates for electric vehicles (EVs) and electrification of space and water heat will likely double electricity consumption and peak demand. Coupled with policies that mandate supplying the nation’s electricity with zero-emissions resources, notably intermittent wind and solar power, not only will electricity prices continue to increase but the ability to meet consumers’ increased demand will become more problematic.
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The executive director, chief of staff and chief of surgery at the Hampton VA Medical Center are all leaving after investigations revealed substandard care and potentially willful negligence.
Their exodus stems from congressional investigations and a Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General report. The OIG began its latest probe into the hospital (there have been others) after learning of six instances of substandard care by the hospital’s assistant chief of surgery and spotting implications of a lack of internal reporting, oversight and accountability.
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Michigan has a new way to address its EMT shortage.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a law that would extend temporary EMT and paramedic licenses from 120 days to a year. House Bills 4613 and 4614 were sponsored by state Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River.
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While property taxes continue to rise in many jurisdictions across Georgia, voters will have a chance to cap how much home values can rise for property tax purposes.
“Monthly costs for Georgians, from the north Georgia mountains to the coast, continue to rise,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in a statement last month. “During record high inflation, skyrocketing debt and expenses rising every day, local governments should be focused on bringing costs down – not letting them increase.”
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The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $130,000 in taxpayer dollars through the county’s “community solutions” fund for a variety of purposes in the East Valley on Wednesday.
One hundred thousand dollars will head toward the International Dark Sky Discovery Center for childhood education uses and admission costs, $10,000 will be used for “sign improvements” along the Hawes Trail System near Mesa within the Tonto National Forest, and $8,000 to assist the East Valley Institute of Technology’s program for small children, the board touted in a news release on Wednesday. Other funds went toward “heat relief” uses.
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Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s ambitious $3.1 billion “Choose How You Move” transportation improvement program, was unanimously approved by the Metro Council this week, is facing scrutiny from anti-tax activist Ben Cunningham. The opposition raises serious legal questions that could significantly impact the plan’s implementation. With the passage this week from the Council, the initiative will be on the November ballot.
Cunningham, known for his staunch opposition to tax increases, is challenging the legality of the plan, which aims to enhance Nashville’s transportation infrastructure. His argument centers on whether the proposed spending aligns with the provisions of the 2017 state law known as the Improve Act. This law permits local governments to establish dedicated funding sources for mass transit but has specific stipulations on allowable expenditures.
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The Make Elections Fair PAC has filed a lawsuit against Arizona lawmakers, claiming that the description of the ballot measure provided to voters is misleading and confusing. The group argues that the language, crafted by the Arizona Legislative Council, inaccurately suggests that the initiative would mandate ranked choice voting. Sarah Smallhouse, chairman of the campaign, stated that lawmakers refused to amend the description as requested, protecting their own interests in closed primaries. The PAC is asking the court to rewrite the description in a neutral tone. They claim placing ranked choice voting in the description is deceptive.
According to the group’s website, the Make Elections Fair Act aims to eliminate partisan primaries, placing all candidates on the same ballot regardless of political affiliation and allowing voters to choose their favorites without separate ballots. The website states the initiative seeks to “dismantle the current system”, which often excludes independent and unaffiliated voters from primary elections. The PAC believes it will promote competition, reduce polarization, and ensure that elected officials are more representative of the entire electorate.
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Thanks to a state grant program, eligible school resource offers will receive an $800 retention bonus payment this summer, according a release from the The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) and the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards Training (POST) Commission.
“This summer, each eligible law enforcement officer will receive an $800 retention bonus payment if they have completed their 2023 in-service hours and are still employed as a law enforcement officer at the time of the application,” th release said. “An additional $800 will also be awarded to all SROs who have completed the 2023-24 academic year, as well as all applicable training. Eligible officers already receive an $800 salary supplement payment from the POST Commission for completion of annual training requirements.”
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Evictions are soaring, and Americans can’t pay the rent, potentially throwing hundreds of thousands of families out of their homes at a time when homeless shelters are jammed to the rafters with 10 million illegal immigrants.
It’s a useful reminder that the problem with our ruling elite isn’t just President Joe Biden’s dementia. They’ve made a very big bed we’re all going to be lying in.
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New England states are getting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to “supercharge” efforts to get homeowners to ditch natural gas or oil heating systems and install electric heat pumps.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $450 million to Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island to accelerate a transition to heat pump technology in residential single-family homes and multifamily buildings across the region.
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The House passed a resolution to form a bipartisan task force on Wednesday to investigate the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13.
H.R. 1367, which was spearheaded by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, passed the House in a unanimous vote. The task force was announced in the aftermath of U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle’s evasive testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, which sparked bipartisan outrage and her subsequent resignation on Tuesday.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced legislation Thursday aimed at blocking state officials and bureaucrats from intervening in elections through politicized prosecutions and sentencings.
The Prevention of Election Interference Act of 2024 would bar the sentencing of presidential candidates in court 120 days before a presidential election. It also would prevent the candidate from being sentenced 60 days after a presidential election.
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A whistleblower is alleging that the U.S. Secret Service declined to use drones at the deadly Pennsylvania rally for former president Donald Trump on July 13, even though the technology was repeatedly offered by local law enforcement, Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said on Thursday.
The Secret Service has fallen under intense scrutiny for failing to prevent a gunman from opening fire and attempting to assassinate Trump at the July 13 rally. Amid a series of reported operational failures, Hawley revealed in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday that a whistleblower had told him that the Secret Service repeatedly rejected offers from law enforcement in Pennsylvania to utilize drones for security purposes.
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A New England state that has long been regarded as a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants is now dramatically scaling back its emergency migrant shelter services and offering plane rides for them to leave, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state will limit stays at overflow shelters to just five days for migrants beginning next month, and that it will offer to cover plane tickets and other travel expenses for migrants who wish to leave, according to Boston 25 News. The announcement comes as Massachusetts has been rocked with waves of illegal immigrants in need of housing and other services.
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Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill on Tuesday that outlaws defense lawyers from using a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as part of their defense argument.
The bill passed the state House in a 56-54 vote, and prohibits people accused of violent crimes from claiming that their alleged victim’s perceived or actual gender identity or orientation caused them to “panic.” Michigan is now the 20th state to pass such a law.
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An apartment management company is under fire for seemingly leaving residents out to dry amid scorching summer heat.
Attorney General Kris Mayes sent Buenas Communities LLC a cease and desist over one of their buildings allegedly failing to solve the cooling issues for roughly 400 units at Buenas on 32nd. Mayes is giving them a deadline of Friday at 5 p.m. to fix the problems.
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Former President Donald Trump’s campaign filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint Tuesday alleging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ are in violation of campaign finance laws after transferring $91.5 million to Harris’ campaign.
The complaint, which was first reported by The New York Times, was filed by Trump’s campaign’s general counsel, David Warrington and comes after Harris announced her confirmation of delegates to be the Democrat’s new presumptive presidential nominee.
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Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) Tuesday announced that a bipartisan bill she cosponsored with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) called the “Kids Online Safety Act” is headed to the Senate floor for a vote.
“It’s official: the Kids Online Safety Act is getting a vote on the Senate Floor. This progress is a testament to the incredible work of parents and young people whose personal experiences are the heart of this bill,” Blackburn said in a press release. “They came to DC over and over again, told their stories to lawmakers, wrote letters, and never gave up on demanding change. We are grateful to be in this fight with such brave and tenacious friends and allies.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris promoted using paper ballots for elections the last time she was a presidential candidate, but since then, Democrats and the Biden administration have largely pushed back against election integrity laws that Republicans have promoted.
Five years ago, Harris was part of a bipartisan effort to encourage the use of paper ballots. However, since the 2020 presidential election, Democrats have called Republicans “election deniers” for promoting such election integrity measures, and the Biden administration is focusing on suing states with election integrity laws.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti led a coalition of 13 other state attorneys general in pushing back against a new pilot program launched by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) that would remove title insurance requirements from certain loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In March, the FHFA launched the pilot program, which “waives the requirement for lender’s title insurance or a legal opinion on certain low-risk refinance transactions where there is confidence that the property is free and clear of any prior lien or encumbrance.”
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Student test scores are continuing to fall four years after schools moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study released Tuesday by testing company Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).
The paper found gaps in academic performance between today’s students and their pre-pandemic counterparts are widening, despite the record $190 billion in federal aid distributed to schools since the pandemic began. The findings — which were divulged from an analysis of test results from the 2023-24 school year for approximately 7.7 million students between the third and eighth grades — also come two years after experts had claimed a recovery in education was underway.
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A 20-year-old man with a rifle, perched atop a nearby roof, fired several rounds July 13 at Donald Trump as the former president spoke at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one attendee and wounding at least two others.
As we know now, one round nicked Trump’s right ear and he avoided a serious wound or death with a fortuitous head turn that moved him out of the bullet’s path at the last second.
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Federal immigration authorities in Florida last week apprehended more than a dozen illegal migrants who were convicted or charged of crimes while in a program that allowed them to live freely in the U.S. despite crossing the border illegally.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 18 illegal migrants in a week-long raid referred to as “Operation Drumbeat,” according to a press release from the agency. The operation, which was done in conjunction with Border Patrol agents, apprehended noncitizens charged or convicted of a slate of heinous crimes, such as child abuse, extortion, assault, burglary and other offenses.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, is warning Nashvillians about Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi-billion dollar transit plan, which will be presented to voters this November via ballot referendum.
O’Connell’s transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” would be funded by a half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax to construct miles of new sidewalks, bus stops, transit centers, parking facilities, and upgraded traffic signals throughout Nashville.
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Scores of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took over the rotunda in the Cannon House Office building on Tuesday, the day before Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress.
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U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle resigned from her position on Tuesday following backlash she received after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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Diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory topics now pervade U.S. Armed Forces educational trainings and programs, according to newly published research.
The recent report out of Arizona State University’s Center for American Institutions detailed the extensiveness of DEI training throughout the branches of the military and military academies, as well as highlighted an increasing budget for DEI training.
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Health and Human Services whistleblower Tara Rodas says she faced retaliation from the department after she reported concerns that unaccompanied immigrant children were being placed in the hands of sponsors who were affiliated with the notorious Salvadorian MS-13 gang.
“Interestingly, when I discovered that there was MS-13 actually sponsoring the children…. this began when a DHS whistleblower came forward and then alerted us that MS-13 and 18th Street gangs were getting the children, it only took them less than three weeks if you can imagine, to walk me off the site under threat of investigation,” Rodas said on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “That’s what happened to me.”
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The Biden administration announced Monday that it is sending billions of dollars across the country to advance climate change-related projects.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Monday that it is sending a combined $4.3 billion to help fund 25 applicants build “community-driven” climate projects across 30 states. The projects include electric vehicle (EV) charging station construction, funds to help local governments expedite green energy siting and programs to enhance heat pump adoption.
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The last few weeks sharply remind us of the old adage – “Man Plans, and God Laughs.” In less than 30 days, the American political world has been upended by a series of shocking events most people are still trying to fully comprehend. From a remarkably disastrous debate for President Joe Biden against former president Donald Trump, to the attempted assassination of Trump a short 16 days later, then two days after that the start of a well-organized and produced Republican convention with an injured but unbowed Trump, to the withdrawal of Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, it’s safe to say none of us knows what happens next.
One thing we do know – the divisive and hateful rhetoric employed by the left against Trump and his supporters is what has fed both the unraveling of the Democratic Party and the awakening of Americans to the reality of the lies and manipulation we’ve endured since Biden took office.
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Now that Biden is toast, Trump has a real fight on his hands. Who’s to blame? Clearly, there are incompetents in both campaigns—which doesn’t bode well for America’s fight against an insurgent Russia and Communist China (and Iran and North Korea), possibly in World War III.
One asks in amazement, whose crazy, unbelievably stupid idea was it to have Biden and Trump debate in June? In time, we may find out. But for now, we can only speculate.
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As Georgia Democrats rally around Vice President Kamala Harris to replace President Joe Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket, Republicans say democracy is threatened.
“They got him. Not today democracy, not today,” posted U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican, immediately following Biden’s announcement.
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Democratic National Committee member Elaine Kamarck said on Monday there’s “no time” ahead of the party’s August convention for another candidate to become the nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden announced Sunday that he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race following calls from allies within his party to step aside after his disastrous June debate against former President Donald Trump. Kamarck said on “CNN News Central” that Harris’ likely advantage with Biden’s delegates and the lack of time in the race make it so the chances of another candidate becoming the nominee are exceedingly “small.”
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Chairman James Comer and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin issued a joint statement calling for U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign after her evasive testimony during a hearing on Monday.
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