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 Information on the "IKE DIKE" Coastal Barrier May 11: The Epoch Times: Arizona joins the list of states updating their election integrity laws Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law a bill that updates eligibility requirements to remain on the state’s early voting list in an effort to protect the integrity of elections. The law seeks to keep only active voters on the “Active Early Voting List,” who wish to vote by mail in elections. Voters who don’t return at least one mail-in ballot over four years, or two consecutive primary elections and general elections, will be asked whether he or she wishes to stay on the list. If there is no response they will be removed from the list., text message, or email. If they do not respond, then they could be removed from that list. Democrats have opposed the bill, which they characterize as a “purge” bill. They pulled the “race card” claiming the bill will disproportionately impact low-income, black, lutino, and Native American voters. Republicans have pushed back on what they say is a “false narrative” on the bill, arguing the law is designed to bolster the security of elections and will not disenfranchise any voters. Voters who are removed from the list can still request an early ballot or vote in person, according to the law. May 11: The Daily Caller: News from the UK; the Queen speaks out on conversion therapy Queen Elizabeth II promised to ban conversion therapy in a Tuesday speech before both Houses of Parliament. “Measures will be brought forward to address racial and ethnic disparities and ban conversion therapy,” the Queen said. A set of practices also referred to as “gay cure therapy” or “reparative therapy” are aimed at changing one’s sexual orientation or suppressing their gender identity, according to NHS England. While many forms of conversion therapy are already outlawed under the current UK law, the proposed ban is expected to ensure that it is eradicated once and for all. May 11: The Epoch Times: U.S. Steel cancels billion-dollar investment in PA over objections by Democrat officials Exactly two years ago, U.S. Steel Corporation announced that the company would turn its Mon Valley Works operations into a key source of lightweight steel for the automotive industry. At the time, local leaders and company officials called the investment “transformational.” It involved a whopping $1.5 billion upgrade to the three Pennsylvania plants with technology and improvements that would have resulted in cleaner air for communities as well as good-paying jobs providing regional prosperity for decades. Dragged out delays by local politicians contributed to the decision as the company started to focus on sustainability, U.S. Steel said. Meanwhile, a local Democrat official said he was “blindsided by the news.” Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, also a Democrat, was simply devastated. Local economic development forecasters estimate over 1,000 direct jobs will be lost, as well as countless supporting jobs that would have facilitated the buildout. A local economic group of manufacturing, steel, energy and labor union officials said the unknown costs and implications from the U.S. Steel decision are formidable and long-lasting and could impact other companies considering moving to Pennsylvania. They may include evaluating the economic climate into their decision making the group suggested.  May 11: Fox Business: Colonial Pipeline hack causes shortages at gas pumps in mideastern USFuel shortages have widened across the East Coast as consumers continue to panic buy amid the fallout from a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline last week by Russian ransomware group Darkside. Gasoline outages have been reported in Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. The 5,500-mile pipeline system transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and heating oil per day, or roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the Eastern Seaboard between the Gulf Coast and the New York metro area. The pipeline company said Monday that it is aiming to substantially restore its system by the end of the week. May 11: Fox News: Paul to Fauci about the origins of the Wuhan lab research Senator, and physician, Rand Paul (R-KY) and Dr. Anthony Faucii sparred once again at a Senate hearing Tuesday, this time over the funding of the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology -- the Chinese lab that is believed to have played a role in the initial outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus. Fauci and Paul have come to verbal blows before over both the virus and related restrictions such as lockdowns and mask-wearing. On Tuesday, Paul zeroed in on gain of function research -- which works on making pathogens deadlier or more easily transmissible. He alleged that a U.S. virologist had been working with the Chinese institute on such research and said it was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH)."Dr. Fauci, do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan?" he asked the NIH chief. Fauci responded that "… NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology." May 10: The Epoch Times: Kansas sheriff says 12 cases of election fraud still under investigation The Kansas, Shawnee County, Sheriff’s Office confirmed last week it is still investigating claims of voter fraud from the Nov. 3 election. A spokesperson told a local news outlet that 12 cases are being investigated, but couldn’t release more details about the investigation. The statement came after state Rep. Vic Miller, a Democrat, had asked Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay to look into the 12 cases of alleged election fraud, noting that the alleged fraud cases involved addresses that were listed at two UPS stores and two businesses in Topeka. Andrew Howell, the Shawnee County election commissioner, said that he doesn’t recall anyone contacting office but said they are trying to “clean up the list.” He added that using a UPS address or business address does not necessarily mean there was election fraud involved. Here, in Texas, it is a violation of the Texas Election Code to register claiming a U.S. post office box as your residence and efforts are underway to expand that to include commercial P.O. boxes as well. May 10: News Max: Rep. Liz Chaney (R-WY) to be primaried by retired Army Colonel A retired U.S. Army colonel from California says he will challenge Liz Cheney in next year's Republican U.S. House primary in Wyoming. Denton Knapp, of Trabuco Canyon, California, said he plans to move back to Gillette, where he graduated from high school in 1983, the Gillette News Record reported Monday. Five Republicans as of Monday had filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission stating their intent to run against Cheney in 2022. The list didn't include Knapp yet but has been growing amid Republican discontent with Cheney for continuing to dispute former President Donald Trump's claim that vote fraud cost him re-election. Cheney was among 10 Republican representatives who voted to impeach Trump over the riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6. She has called her impeachment vote an act of conscience in defense of democracy and the Constitution. Meanwhile Chaney faces a likely action by the House GOP to remove her from her position as “Conference Chair.” the third-highest Republican leadership post in the House. Meanwhile News Max also reported that former President Donald Trump threw his support toward Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to replace Cheney (R-WY). The House GOP Conference needs someone with "experience flipping districts blue to red," Trump said on Monday, hailing Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as the replacement chair. "We need someone in leadership who has experience flipping districts from blue to red as we approach the important 2022 midterms, and that's Elise!" Trump wrote. "She knows how to win, which is what we need!" Trump's statement said "Elise has intelligence, an endorsement from American Patriot Brandon Judd and the National Border Patrol Council, she has an A+ from the NRA, and she loves our Veterans." May 10: Fox News: Israeli and Palestinians clash at Jerusalem holy site Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters inside a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site on Monday. Officers fired tear gas and stun grenades and protesters hurled stones and other objects at police. Police said protesters threw stones from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound onto an adjoining roadway. May 9: Fox News: NBC Anchor fails to ask Fauci key Wuhan coronavirus question in an interview "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd failed to ask guest Dr. Anthony Fauci about the origins of the coronavirus on Sunday, which some viewers considered an oversight, particularly in light of reports that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) was one of the first to notice Todd's missed opportunity. “...Chuck Todd didn’t ask him a single question about the origin of the disease and whether U.S. taxpayer dollars went to gain of function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology," Gallagher said on Twitter. "No one," he added, "seems to be interested in getting to the bottom" of how this pandemic started. May 9: The Washington Times: Senator Tim Scott and Race Theory Thanks in part to Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), it looks like we have hit the peak of the “America is a systemically racist country” craze. About 10 days ago Scott, in response to Joe Biden’s address to Congress, as well as the general tone and tenor of the times, made it clear that he did not believe that America is a racist country and that the notion of institutional or systemic racism is pretty much nonsense. Scott, who is of African-American decent, said plainly: “America is not a racist country.” In so doing, he offered the most consequential response to a presidential address since that tradition was started in 1966. Mr. Scott both carpet-bombed a talking point the Democrats have spent 50 years curating and launched himself immediately into the mix for the 2024 presidential contest. That’s solid work for just five minutes. May 9: The Epoch Times: Weak jobs report reflects on Biden economic policies U.S. jobs growth for April was far lower than what the market had predicted, adding to worries that excessive stimulus payments could have undesirable side effects in the long term, making the road to recovery rocky. The April jobs report was the biggest miss on record. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 266,000 jobs last month versus an estimate of 1 million. As a result, some economists believe that the path to full employment could be much longer than expected. The economy is still 8.2 million jobs below pre-Wuhan coronavirus levels. While Joe Biden inherited a strong economic recovery, his policies are hurting companies, especially Main Street businesses, critics say. May 9: The Washington Times: Homeland Security officer accused of lying about his own immigration history The case of a Homeland Security immigration officer accused of lying about his own immigration history is getting even more sordid with the revelation in court documents that his wife also works for the department — as part of an anti-fraud unit. Investigators said the woman, identified in court documents only by initials “O.I.”, knew about her husband Karl Ifemembi’s fraud and helped conceal it from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the legal immigration agency for which they both worked. Court documents suggest she may even have helped her husband apply for jobs based on which identity story he wanted to use at the time. May 8: The Epoch Times: Arizona lawmakers to Maricopa County, provide routers or face another subpoena Arizona lawmakers and officials in the state’s largest county clashed anew last week over election audit subpoenas, with county officials refusing to hand over routers and claiming they don’t have passwords to access administrative control functions of election machines. Arizona’s Senate told Maricopa County that it would issue subpoenas for live testimony from the county’s Board of Supervisors unless it receives materials that are being withheld. The Arizona Senate subpoenaed election materials, such as ballots, following the 2020 election; lawmakers also issued subpoenas for election machines, passwords, and other technology. A judge said their request was “the equivalent of a Court order,” but the county continued to stonewall turning over routers or router images, claiming that doing so poses a significant security risk to law enforcement. The county has said it doesn’t have passwords to access administrative functions on Dominion Voting Systems machines that were used to scan ballots during the election. Democrat, John Brakey, who serves on the state Senate’s liaison team told a local broadcaster that he was “blown away” by the password development. “It’s like leasing a car and they refuse to give you the keys. They’re supposed to be running the election. You know what’s wrong? Sometimes these vendors have too much power, and we’re voting on secret software, and that’s why this recount down here is very important,” he said. May 8: News Max: Big U.S. pipeline shutdown by cyberattack A company that operates a major U.S. energy pipeline says it was forced to temporarily halt all pipeline operations following a cybersecurity attack. In a statement, Colonial Pipeline said the attack took place Friday and also affected some of its information technology systems. The company describes itself as the largest refined products pipeline in the United States. It says it is responsible for transporting more than 100 million gallons of fuel daily, through a pipeline system spanning more than 5,500 miles between Texas and New Jersey. The company said it hired an outside cybersecurity firm to investigate the nature and scope of the attack and has also contacted law enforcement and federal agencies. "At this time,” the company said, “our primary focus is the safe and efficient restoration of our service and our efforts to return to normal operation. This process is already underway, and we are working diligently to address this matter and to minimize disruption to our customers and those who rely on Colonial Pipeline." May 7: The Washington Free Beacon: Milton Friedman and the economy Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen got into trouble Tuesday for telling the truth. That morning, at a conference sponsored by the Atlantic, she raised the possibility that one day the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates "to make sure our economy doesn't overheat." Anyone with a basic understanding of economics knew what she was talking about. The combination of Joe Biden's gargantuan spending and the accelerating economic recovery may well lead to a rise in consumer prices and hikes in interest rates. But an end to the Federal Reserve's program of easy money would hurt asset prices and possibly employment as well. Something investors don’t want to hear. When Yellen's words reached Wall Street, the market tanked. By the afternoon she was in retreat. A specter inflation is haunting the Biden administration. Past inflations have not only harmed consumers, savers, and people on fixed incomes, they have also brought down politicians. The classic definition of inflation is too much money chasing too few goods. That might also describe America sometime soon, it if doesn’t already. The economy has started its post-virus comeback. Jobs and growth are on the upswing. U.S. households sit on a trillion-dollar pile of savings. Over the last year, on top of its regular spending, the federal government has appropriated a mind-boggling $2 trillion CARES Act, a $900 billion Wuhan coronavirus relief bill, and a $2 trillion American Rescue Plan. And President Biden wants to spend an additional $4 trillion, bringing the total to over $8 trillion! This indicates that we can expect inflation and with it a negative impact on the U.S. economy, something that helped ruin the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. May 7: The Epoch Times: Texas house passes election integrity legislation, more to do The Texas state House on Friday passed a GOP-backed election overhaul bill that would add new penalties and rules, becoming the latest state Republican-led legislative body to pass similar legislation in recent days. The bill (SB 7) was adopted by a 78-64 vote and will make it a felony to provide voters with a vote-by-mail application if they haven’t requested one. It would also bar the usage of public funds to facilitate the distribution of mail-in voting applications. Additionally, poll watchers could only be removed “if the watcher engages in activity that would constitute an offense related to the conduct of the election.” In November 2020, over 20 Republican poll watchers were banned from entering polling places in Democrat-controlled Harris County, even though they were duly appointed. As has been used in other states like Florida and Georgia, Democrats and progressive groups criticized the bill claiming it is tantamount to “voter suppression,” claiming it adversely impacts “people of color” and disregarding the claim that it is to ensure election integrity. May 6: The Daily Signal: Myth vs. fact; the Florida election integrity bill Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an election integrity bill into law Thursday morning to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. Unfortunately, the mainstream media is helping to circulate misinformation about the law, here are some examples:
funded by China Eight Republican senators aren’t happy that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving forward with amnesty for researchers who admit getting past funding from foreign sources. “America’s successful research enterprise is built on reciprocity, integrity, and transparency. These values foster a free exchange of ideas and ensure that researchers and institutions receive the benefit of hard work,” the senators told Attorney General Merrick Garland in a May 5 letter made public Thursday. “… the United States must also take reasonable steps to protect taxpayer-funded research from theft, diversion, and ultimately weaponization against our own long-term national interests,” the senators said. “This is a complex problem, but an amnesty program rewarding individuals who broke federal law to steal U.S. taxpayer-funded research is simply not the answer,” they contended. May 5: News Max: Democrats, Arizona Senate in deal to ensure recount security The Arizona Democratic Party has reached a deal with the Republican-controlled state Senate to ensure that voter and ballot privacy is guaranteed during an unprecedented recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. The agreement puts teeth in a court order that already required the Senate and its contractor, Florida-based Cyber Ninjas, to follow state laws around ballot privacy. Any violations of the agreement would be enforceable by seeking an emergency court order. The agreement also puts in writing a verbal agreement between the Senate and Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs that allows her to have three observers inside the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the state fairgrounds. Under the court order, the Senate and Cyber Ninjas last week released their policies and procedures for the recount. May 4: Fox News: Trump launches new social media platform after being banned from Facebook and Twitter Former President Trump on Tuesday launched a communications platform, which will eventually give him the ability to communicate directly with his followers, after months of being banned from sites like Twitter and Facebook. The platform, "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump" appears on www.DonaldJTrump.com/desk. The space allows Trump to post, and allows followers to share the former president’s posts to Twitter and Facebook, however, the new platform does not have a feature to allow users to "reply" or engage with Trump’s posts. "This is just a one-way communication," one source familiar with the space said. "This system allows Trump to communicate with his followers." Trump’s new platform surfaced Tuesday, after advisers had said the former president planned to "move forward" to create a social media platform of his own after being banned from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. May 4: The Daily Caller: TX Democrat official resigns after calling Senator Scott an “oreo” Democratic Party Chair Gary O’Connor of Lamar County, Texas, resigned Tuesday after facing backlash for calling Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), an African-American, an “oreo.” O’Connor called Scott the racially derogatory term following Scott’s rebuttal to Joe Biden’s address to a joint meeting of Congress. O’Connor faced backlash from fellow Texas politicians who called his comments “disgusting, hateful, and completely unacceptable.” May 3: The Epoch Times: Socialism at its finest - encourage other nations to increase taxes so corporations won’t flee the US as Biden increases taxes on them at home! Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, said the Biden administration continues to urge its trading partners to adopt a global minimum tax on corporations to offset the impact of Joe Biden’s proposed domestic corporate tax increase. “The idea is to make sure that corporations are paying ‘their fair share,’ to button up some of the loopholes, which have meant more corporations were actually putting more money offshore and having a global minimum tax so that … that we’re working with the rest of the world so that corporations are paying their fair share worldwide,” Rouse said. The Biden administration’s appeal for international cooperation on the global corporate minimum tax rate is a bid to at least partially counteract any disadvantages that might arise from the Biden proposal to raise the U.S. corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, a move panned by Republicans and business groups as hurting the competitiveness of American companies and slowing wage growth. “These tax hikes would be devastating to American businesses and would see U.S. businesses pay a 32 percent rate after state taxes, one of the highest rates in the developed world,” Alexander Hendrie of the Americans for Tax Reform said. May 2: Fox News: Texas special election: Dems come up short as two Republicans end up in the runoff election Republicans Susan Wright, the wife of the late Republican Congressman Ron Wright, and Jake Ellzey advanced this weekend to a runoff election for Texas’ Sixth Congressional District, which many see as a bellwether for future contests. There were over twenty people in the race (both Republicans and Democrats) with the closest Democrat coming in third, 400 votes behind the second-place (Republican) finisher The runoff election will be between to Republican candidates.. The New York Times reported that the special election results disappointed Democrats who hoped for a better showing for Democrat Sanchez. Sanchez said in a statement on Sunday. "Unfortunately, tonight we came up short, and two Republicans will be competing to represent this Congressional district. May 2: Townhall.com: VA senators chiming in as GOP candidate could win the state in November 2021 It is less than a week away from the Republican convention in Virginia, which will select the party's nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Democrats will pick their nominees during a June 8 primary, and the general election will be on November 2, 2021, to decide if Virginia will remain under one-party rule. FiveThirtyEight noted that "The biggest election of 2021 is probably for governor of Virginia," with original emphasis. Sitting senators are even weighing in now. A recent, major endorsement came on Sunday from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), in favor of former Carlyle Group executive, Glenn Youngkin. The video endorsement highlights Youngkin's credentials as a businessman and a political outsider, who knew "a new kind of leader was needed to get things done and get things back on the right track." In addition to listing other credentials, Sen. Cruz offered that "Glenn is the best chance Republicans have of winning in Virginia this year." May 2: The Epoch Times: May Day anti-lock-down party broken up by police in Brussels Police fired water cannon and tear gas in a Brussels park on Saturday to break up an anti-lockdown party of several hundred people designed to defy coronavirus social distancing rules. The crowd of mostly young people responded to a post on Facebook announcing the unauthorized party. It took place a month after police cleared 2,000 people who gathered in the same Bois de la Cambre park for la Boum (the party), an event that had begun as an April Fool’s joke. May 2: The Washington Times: The Filibuster becomes a litmus test in Democrat Senate midterm races Wisconsin State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski made it crystal clear when she launched her US Senate bid last month that she wants to ax the legislative filibuster. Godlewski is among the Democrats in the developing field of Senate candidates who are betting primary voters will reward them for vowing to remove the 60-vote threshold required to pass bills through the upper chamber. “Yes, we can get rid of the filibuster because that’s what it takes to get the job done,” Ms. Godlewski said toward the end of her launch announcement. “People say we can’t fix the Senate, but I don’t buy that.” Despite the filibuster’s unpopularity among liberals, Democrats have not changed the decades-old rule in part because of opposition from the likes of Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Meanwhile, Democrats were unable to stop Trump’s judicial appointments because they got rid of the filibuster for nominees when they controlled the Senate, in part because the GOP was using it to block Democrat nominations. They found that their actions back then, came back to bite them. May 1: The Epoch Times: Florida joins the state legislatures tightening voter integrity requirements On April 26, in a vote of 23-17, the Florida State Senate approved SB 90 (pdf), which overhauls the Florida election law ahead of the 2022 primary and 2024 presidential election cycles. State Sen. Jeff Brandes was the only Republican to vote against the measure. The House passed a similar version a week earlier. Both chambers must agree on the language of the legislation in order for the bill to advance to the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The new legislation seeks to mandate that vote-by-mail ballot signatures match the most recent signature on file to be counted. The measure also dictates that political parties and candidates cannot be shut out from observing the signature matching process. May 1: Fox News: Cancel culture, maybe there are some limits as CA teacher placed on a leave of absence It seems that academia’s unbridled wokeism does have limits, after all -- at least in this case, where the subject didn't have tenure. A left-wing California college professor who defended cancel culture and repeatedly talked down to a student who called police "heroes" has herself been canceled after video of the virtual class went viral. The educator told 19-year-old student Braden Ellis, a business major, that police were created in the American South to track down runaway slaves and suggested that policing is inherently a form of systemic racism. "I pray for the success of Cypress College, but we need to root out this liberal ideology that’s tearing our country apart," Ellis told Fox News Saturday after the school’s announcement. "Always do it with gentleness and respect, but Republicans, conservatives, Christians and independent thinkers need to fight back and defend our country’s values." Video of the exchange shows his calm response to the teacher’s aggressive line of questioning and attempt to derail his arguments against cancel culture and antipolice sentiment. May 1: The Washington Examiner: Romney showered with boos at event as hecklers call him a “traitor” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) was showered with loud boos by a Republican audience in Utah as he attempted to slam Joe Biden’s agenda. “I’m a man who says what he means, and you know I was not a fan of our last president’s character issues,” Romney said to delegates at Utah’s Republican convention. He was met with boos from the crowd as some delegates called him a “traitor.” “Aren’t you embarrassed?” Romney asked the crowd at one point. Romney also touted his Republican credentials and told the crowd that the boos don’t bother him. “You can boo all you like,” said Romney. “I’ve been a Republican all of my life. My dad was the governor of Michigan, and I was the Republican nominee for president in 2012.” The jeers finally stopped when the outgoing party chairman urged the delegates to “show respect.” May 1: The Epoch Times: Political interference in Census Bureau population apportionment? Congressional leaders want to know A group of House Republicans is questioning whether political interference contributed to what they describe as questionable results from the recently completed 2020 Census. The lawmakers on April 30 pointed to the discrepancy between projections of census numbers last year and the final figures, and also that the Census Bureau referred them to the White House when questioned about the apportionment count. “While Democrats falsely accused the Trump Administration of using the Census process for political gain, [Joe] Biden has done just that,” the group wrot to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Even as President [Donald] Trump sought to ensure the accuracy of the 2020 Census apportionment results by excluding illegal aliens from the apportionment count, [Joe] Biden reversed course, deciding to dilute American citizens’ representational interests by rescinding this commonsense measure. Several liberal states with sanctuary policies may have lost more congressional seats if illegal immigrants had not been included in the apportionment base.” Population numbers for each state garnered through the census, a once-per-decade query of Americans, is used to tally how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives. May 1: The Washington Times: Abbott calls on Dem official to resign for labeling Senator Scott an “oreo” A Texas Democratic Party official is facing calls to step down after referring to Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, as an “oreo.” Texas Gov. Abbott demanded Saturday the resignation of Gary O’Connor, chair of the Lamar County Democratic Party, after he said in a since-deleted Facebook post criticizing Mr. Scott as “little more than an oreo with no real principles.” “This is disgusting, hateful, and completely unacceptable,” the Republican governor tweeted. “O’Connor must apologize to @SenatorTimScott & step down immediately.” April 30: Breitbart News: WVA Senator Manchin puts the nail in the coffin of Dems dreams of federalizing elections Senator Joe Manchin (D-WVA) said Friday that he “would not be able to support” the House bill HR-1 that federalizes elections. He said regarding the bill that he believes election integrity is necessary. “Every vote should be accessible, it should be secure, and it should be fair. That’s the responsibility we have, and [if] the states are subverting that, then we should put guard rails on it,” he said. Manchin did not say, however, which parts of the 800-page bill, named H.R. 1, dissatisfies him, which passed the House on March 3 along partisan lines, irking Manchin. “How in the world could you, with the tension we have right now, allow a voting bill to restructure the voting of America on a partisan line? I just believe with all my heart and soul that’s what would happen, and I’m not going to be part of it,” he said. April 29: The Epoch Times: Arizona Democrat criticizes Biden for the border crisis Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) criticized Joe Biden for ignoring the current surge of migrants at the nation’s southern border during his first speech before Congress on Wednesday night. “While I share President Biden’s urgency in fixing our broken immigration system, what I didn’t hear tonight was a plan to address the immediate crisis at the border,” Kelly said following Biden’s speech. “I will continue holding this administration accountable to deliver the resources and staffing necessary for a humane, orderly process as we work to improve border security, support local economies, and fix our immigration system.”  April 29: Texas House Committee on Elections: Representative lays out HB 160On April 29th Texas House Representative Erin Zwiener (D-Kyle) laid out her bill HB 160 which would add student IDs from public institutions to the list of acceptable forms of voter IDs. She suggested that because students may not carry with them one of the currently acceptable forms of voter IDs that student IDs should be added. One witness pointed out that students should take responsibility for their own actions, just like all other voters do. If they have an acceptable form of ID but failed to bring it with them to the polls, then they need to go get it. April 29: Fox News: The police are more popular than Joe Biden Police and other law enforcement agencies are more popular among Americans than Joe Biden, according to a new poll. An NBC News survey published Thursday shows Biden trailing behind law enforcement in popularity by almost 10 points. The poll also showed Major League Baseball trailing well behind both police and Biden with 34%. MLB has faced an intense backlash over its decision to move its annual All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver due to Georgia's recently passed election law. 
April 29: Texas Senate State Affairs Committee: Texas state legislature considers combining Early Voting and Election Day into one two week "Election Period"Senator Bob Hall (R-Nacogdoches) has proposed doing away with early voting and election day in Texas and combining them into one two week period for voting. Doing so would be a paradigm shift for many, doing away with the current four day break between the two. He has worked closely with the Secretary of State's office in drafting SB 2232. During the hearing some witnesses opposed the measure, while others were having a problem wrapping their arms around the concept. Still others praised the senator for his ability to think outside the box. Doing this would free up equipment for many counties while not disadvantaging any voters, one witness suggested. [FYI: Downloading this clip may take awhile depending on the speed of your Internet connection because it is a very large file] April 29: The Washington Free Beacon: Senator Scott outshines Biden with inspiring tale of overcoming adversity Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) delivered a powerful and inspiritingly diverse response to Joe Biden's Congressional address on Wednesday. Scott argued that Biden—a "good man" whose speech was "full of good words"—had failed to deliver on his promise to unite the country and "lower the temperature" after his victory in the 2020 election. "The Biden administration has pushed us apart," he said, praising the bipartisan COVID-19 relief legislation passed under former president Donald Trump and the success of Operation Warp Speed. The radical policies Democrats have proposed, he argued, were not intended to find "common ground." Invoking his personal story of being raised in poverty by a single "prayin' momma," Scott challenged the lock down policies backed by Democratic politicians that have closed down the institutions that aided his improbable rise, including schools and churches. He spoke of his experience as a black man in America and his struggle to be taken seriously by Democrats and their supporters. April 29: The Epoch Times: Biden gets push back over $6 trillion spending proposal Joe Biden’s $6 trillion in early-term spending initiatives—his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that passed with zero Republican votes, along with his proposed $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and $1.8 trillion American Families Plan—have drawn sharply critical reactions from Republicans, and more muted criticism from some Democrats, for their lofty price tags. Biden unveiled his newest legislative proposal, the sweeping $1.8 trillion package for families and education, during his first speech to a joint session of Congress on April 28, calling it a “once-in-a-generation” investment that would bring lasting benefits to the economy, expand the middle class, and reduce child poverty. The plan includes $1 trillion in spending on education and child care and $800 billion in tax credits aimed at middle- and low-income families, funded mainly by tax hikes on wealthier Americans. Republicans say the bulk of the $6 trillion proposed spending in Biden’s early term is aimed to satisfy his liberal base and amounts to socialism. April 28: Breitbart News: Trump to bring back MAGA rallies Former President Donald Trump is planning to bring back his famous “Make America Great Again” political rallies, a source has confirmed. CNN reported Trump may resume his political rallies as soon as May. Since 2015, Trump’s record-setting political rallies allow his supporters to express their enthusiasm for his political agenda and his willingness to be politically incorrect. The former president is expected to emerge as a focal point of opposition to Joe Biden’s radical-left agenda, and members of the Republican establishment who tried to distance themselves from his political brand after the 2020 election. “I am looking at it very seriously, beyond seriously,” Trump said about 2024 in a recent interview. “From a legal standpoint, I don’t want to really talk about it yet.” April 27: The Daily Caller: Biden’s nomination to head ICE didn’t like reporting illegals to the Federal authorities April 27: Fox News: Louisville having a problem staffing police department as crime runs out of control Nearly 190 cops left the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) in 2020 and 43 have stepped away from the Kentucky city’s agency so far in 2021, either choosing to retire or resign altogether, as law enforcement officials struggle to recruit new members to make up for a deficit in manpower, authorities and a union spokesperson told Fox News on Tuesday. "I would say that we’re in dire straits," said River City Fraternal Order of Police press secretary Dave Mutchler, speaking to the current condition of LMPD staffing. Mutchler also serves as a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Officer Union. LMPD has hired 26 new members so far this year, while 43 have left. The 1,069-person department falls 255 people short of its "authorized strength" of 1,324 -- the number of personnel it is authorized to employ, statistics show. April 27: The Washington Times: John Kerry pressed to resign amid alleged sharing of intelligence with Iran John Kerry’s backroom conversations with foreign officials have sparked a fierce backlash in Washington again as the former secretary of state and Biden’s point man on climate issues faced growing calls to resign Tuesday over reports that he fed Iran sensitive information about Israeli military strikes. With a history of seemingly using private discussions with world leaders — in and out of office — for political purposes, Mr. Kerry’s latest firestorm threatens to overshadow White House hopes of resuming diplomatic overtures to Tehran. The controversy centers on Mr. Kerry’s relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Zarif claimed in a recently leaked audiotape that Kerry revealed previously unknown details about Israel’s covert bombing campaign against Iran-backed militias in Syria. The Department of State and Kerry have denied the accusations. April 26: News Max TV: AZ judge recuses himself over election audit case A Maricopa County Superior Court judge late Sunday recused himself from a case challenging an election audit underway in Phoenix after he got new documents saying “one attorney whose name appeared on the filings for the first time today requires me to recuse." A hearing had originally been scheduled for Monday, but it has been postponed. Coury said the court will also assign a new judge on Monday, but he is not sure when the delayed hearing will be rescheduled. The audit almost ended before it started. Coury on Friday ordered the Arizona Senate to pause the procedure, but only if the state's Democratic Party, which wanted the audit stopped, could post a $1 million bond that would cover additional costs from the delay. However, the party said it would not post the money to stop the recount. It had brought a last-minute court action with Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo — the board's only Democrat — claiming the audit process violated state election laws. April 26: The Washington Times: Red states see an increase in Congressional representation Political power shifted slightly from blue to red states Monday as the Census Bureau announced how seats in the U.S. House will be divvied up for the next decade, giving Texas two new seats and Florida one seat, while California and New York each lost seats. Also gaining seats were Colorado, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon, while Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia ceded seats. The changes are smaller than analysts had predicted, with just 13 states seeing changes — the fewest since the current method of apportionment began in 1941, said acting Census Director Ron S. Jarmin. April 26: Breitbart News: Over 90% of Venezuelan households struggle to find food A Venezuelan human rights non-governmental organization found in a national poll that over 90% of people living in the country were food insecure, according to the office of President Juan Guaido. Guaidó — who remains largely powerless despite his status as the constitutional head of state of the country — has repeatedly condemned the regime of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro for starving the Venezuelan people since the former was sworn in as president in early 2019, when Maduro’s last legitimate term as president ended. Socialist mismanagement of the economy and extreme corruption on the part of Maduro’s top henchmen have devastated what was once Latin America’s richest nation, leaving many relying on eating garbage to survive or surviving on barely one meal a day since at least 2016. A study published that year found 15 percent of Venezuelans depended on consuming food scraps found in piles of garbage to survive. April 25: The Washington Times: CCP nixed meeting on biowarfare concerns as CCP virus queries increased China Communist Party (CCP) canceled an online meeting with American officials last year to discuss mounting concerns regarding secret Chinese biological weapons work in possible violation of an international treaty, according to a new report. The meeting between State Department arms control officials and their Chinese counterparts was planned as a video conference rather than in person because of COVID-19 travel curbs. Chinese officials, citing unspecified technical problems, failed to show for the session, according to an account published this month in the State Department’s annual report on compliance with arms agreements. It was the first time in four years that Beijing refused to meet with U.S. officials to discuss suspected Chinese violations of the 1975 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, known as the BWC, fueling concerns that Beijing is working on weapons that kill with microbes or toxins.  April 25: Townhall.com: KY’s AG throws cold water on Biden’s claims of systematic racism Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a prominent Republican office-holder in a red state tossed several buckets of cold water on the left's contention that America is 'systemically racist' during a Sunday appearance on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." “Well, no, I don’t believe this country is systemically racist,” Cameron told anchor Maria Bartiromo. "What I believe is that this country has always tried from the very beginning to become a more perfect union. And certainly, we’ve had our challenges throughout this nation’s history and there’s no hiding from that, but when you hear comments like you heard from [Joe] Biden and others that throw fuel on the fire, that explode the tensions that we have in this country, that’s not good for hoping to unify this country, and so for my part, I try to stay away from hyperbolic terms." When you read words like [those spoken by Joe Biden] you'd almost be forgiven for thinking blacks in America were one step removed from chattel slavery. It's obviously absurd, but such rhetoric is a powerful tool. The myth of 'systemic racism,' of course, is nothing more than a rhetorical ploy by leftists to gain power. While individual racists certainly exist, albeit thankfully in fewer and fewer numbers, America hasn't been 'systemically racist' since the laws that kept racism, well, systemic, were abolished in the '60s. April 25: The Epoch Times: Watch the Arizona election audit live! An audit of votes cast in Arizona’s largest election during the 2020 election is proceeding after the Arizona Democratic Party on Friday refused to pay a $1 million bond. April 25: Fox News: Sen. Manchin rails against eliminating the filibuster, says he’s not going to be part of blowing up the Senate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Sunday pushed back against progressive Democrats who call him a "roadblock" to their liberal proposals, emphasizing he is "not going to be part of blowing up this Senate." He said on CNN, when asked how he would respond to Democrats who say that he is one of the "main roadblocks" to Joe Biden passing his "ambitious agenda," prompting Manchin to say, "I'm not a roadblock at all." In referring to the liberal Democrat push to get rid of the filibuster, Manchin responded “I am not going to be part of blowing up this Senate of ours or basically this democracy of ours or the republic that we have." "The House was designed to be hot as a fire cracker. We were designed to cool it off, and that's the Founding Fathers. It was a brilliant strategy they looked at, so why can't we try to make this work?" Manchin continued. April 24: The Epoch Times: Kansas Dem Gov vetoes election reform and gun bills Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed election reform legislation and a bill that would have let more people carry guns. Kelly, a Democrat, vetoed two bills that would have changed election laws, such as requiring counties to verify signatures on early voting ballots and making it illegal for any person to knowingly alter a postmark on a mail-in ballot. The bills were passed by the Kansas House by votes of 80-42 and 83-42 respectfully and by the Kansas Senate by a votes of 27-11. Kelly alleged the bills would have suppressed votes. Kelly also vetoed another bill that would have let teenagers conceal carry guns if they had a proper permit. April 24: Fox News: Alabama joins the ranks of states banning biological boys from competing in girls sporting events Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday signed legislation restricting transgender students from participating in K-12 sports, making Alabama the latest conservative state to ban transgender girls from playing on female sports teams. Ivey’s office announced in an email that she had signed the bill that says a public K-12 school "may never allow a biological male to participate on a female team." Asked if the governor had a comment on the decision, spokeswoman Gina Maiola said she could confirm the governor signed the bill but did not elaborate.Supporters of the bill, HB 391, say transgender girls are born bigger and faster and have an unfair advantage in competition. Opponents argue the bills are rooted in discrimination and fear, and violate the federal law barring sex discrimination in education. April 23: Fox News: Montana Gov. signs bill making his state a gun sanctuary state Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law Friday that's intended to protect gun owners in the state from any new federal regulations or bans on firearms. "Today, I proudly signed Rep. [Jedediah] Hinkle's law prohibiting federal overreach into our Second Amendment-protected rights, including any federal ban on firearms," Gianforte, a Republican, wrote on Twitter. "I will always protect our #2A right to keep and bear arms." Republicans in the state passed the law amid Biden’s push for federal gun reform measures in the wake of a series of mass shootings across the country this year. Previous efforts to pass similar legislation in the last decade were thwarted by then-Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. The Montana law prohibits law enforcement officials and other state employees from enforcing federal restrictions or spending state funds on particular kinds of firearms, ammunition and magazines. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a similar law earlier this month. April 23: The Epoch Times: Texas sues Biden Administration for ignoring COVID 19 rules at southern border Texas has filed a fresh federal lawsuit against Joe Biden arguing his policies violate federal law and are causing an influx of illegal aliens infected with the CCP virus that causes COVID-19, which jeopardizes public health and the burgeoning economic recovery. The new legal proceeding, the seventh filed by Texas against the Biden administration since the president’s inauguration, seeks a return to Trump-era border policies. “Biden’s outright disregard of the public health crisis in Texas by welcoming and encouraging mass gatherings of illegal aliens is hypocritical and dangerous,” Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement. “This reckless policy change stifles the reopening of the Texas economy at a time when businesses need it the most and when our children need to get back to in-person learning as soon as possible. Law and order must be immediately upheld and enforced to ensure the safety of our communities and the reopening of the strongest economy of the country.” April 23: The Washington Free Beacon: 48 hour waiting period stands for now as parties to lawsuit battle it out in court A federal appeals court on Friday reinstated Tennessee's 48-hour waiting period for abortions, which a federal trial judge said was unconstitutional. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order, a temporary stay, which allows the waiting period to take effect while the state fights a trial court ruling that sided with abortion providers. The order also means that the Supreme Court will not get involved at this stage, a step the state urged the justices to take earlier this month. Tension is mounting around abortion cases at the High Court. The justices are weighing an appeal from Mississippi, which wants to enforce a ban on abortions after 15 weeks. After months of internal deliberation, the Court has yet to announce whether it will hear the case. Pro-choice and pro-life advocates alike see the case as a threat to Roe v. Wade. The Sixth Circuit's decision on Friday spares the High Court a second, more pressing abortion appeal. Tennessee's waiting period requires a patient to consult with a physician about abortion and its alternatives at least 48 hours before the procedure. Providers must relay information about the gestational age of the child, the health risks of abortion and childbirth, and support services for women who choose to carry the child to term. There is an exception for medical emergencies. April 23: The Daily Caller: Welcome to the wrong border Kamala! The New Hampshire GOP called out Vice President Kamala Harris’ planned visit to the “wrong border” rather than traveling to the southern border amid the ongoing migrant crisis. Harris has faced Republican criticism for delaying a visit to the southern border even though she had been nominated as the overseer of the administration’s response to the migrant crisis by President Joe Biden. The NH Republican Party tweeted Friday that the country would be better served if she visited the southern border rather than campaign for Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in the state. “Welcome to the #WrongBorder, VP Kamala Harris! As you travel over 2,300 miles away from El Paso, our country would be better served with an official visit to our southern border, not a campaign trip for Maggie Hassan,” the New Hampshire GOP tweeted. April 22: The Washington Free Beacon: Biden labor board ignores worker, requires them to stay in a union they don’t want, union’s PAC supports Democrat candidates Joe Biden's labor arbiter threw out hundreds of votes from workers attempting to cut ties with a Delaware union. The National Labor Relations Board overruled hundreds of Delaware poultry workers who had voted to reject union leadership. The agency said in a 3-1 ruling released Wednesday that a provision prohibiting workers from leaving a union for a set time period after a contract is signed allowed the board to ignore the workers' March 2020 vote. The decision reversed a regional NLRB director who had initially ruled in the workers' favor. "We are very mad that the American labor law system let us down and is forcing us to pay dues and be in a union we don’t want," Cruz Sosa, the leader of the effort said. "While politicians scream about ‘counting every vote’ and making it easier to vote, they just ordered our 800 votes to be destroyed and never counted." April 21: News Max TV: Portland rioters smash coffee shops after former Minnesota police officer found guilty Rioters in Portland assaulted a police officer, smashed the windows of and defaced two Starbucks stores and started a dumpster fire after former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. Two people were arrested, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Late Tuesday afternoon a Minneapolis jury found Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter for pinning Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that touched off worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S. April 21: The Washington Free Beacon: Senators go to NY and SCOTUS after Biden appointee to DOJ lies under oath Hours before Vanita Gupta was confirmed as Joe Biden’s associate attorney general, several senators urged for an investigation into her conduct during confirmation hearings. In a letter to legal officials representing New York and the U.S. Supreme Court, Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) called for an investigation into Gupta for lying under oath during her testimony to the Senate’s Judiciary Committee. The three senators, all of whom voted against Gupta’s confirmation, say that Gupta made several false statements during her testimony. The letter points to several statements that are contradicted by the public record. For example, she told senators that she did not support decriminalization of drugs, even though she wrote in 2012 that "states should decriminalize simple possession of all drugs," and she told senators that she opposes defunding the police, even though in 2020 she called on leaders to "decrease police budgets and the scope, role, and responsibility of police in our lives." "Ms. Gupta made a number of misrepresentations and false statements—while under oath—to the Senate Judiciary Committee," the letter states. "For us to properly vet and determine the fitness of lawyers to serve in the Department of Justice, it is imperative that nominees exhibit the utmost candor and truthfulness." The letter further says her statements violate New York's rule of professional conduct, which states that a "lawyer shall not knowingly … make a false statement of fact or law to a tribunal." April 20: News Max TV: Trump considering a run in 2024 but won’t commit President Donald Trump is now saying he is "beyond seriously" considering another bid for the White House in 2024, but is still declining to fully commit to a campaign. "…I don't really want to talk about it yet. It's a little too soon," Trump said during a sit-down interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity Monday. "So, I say this: I am looking at it very seriously. Beyond seriously." However, he pointed out 2024 is still "a long time" away, Trump said, "there is more popularity" than there was the day before the November election. "They see how bad things are at the border," he told Hannity. "They see what is going on." He also mentioned that there are growing concerns about the Second Amendment with Biden, adding that taxes are going up and "regulations are going through the roof." Further, Trump said that job rates are going up, but if regulations sought by [the] Biden's administration are added, "the jobs are going to be gone. Your energy independence is going to be gone." April 20: The Daily Signal: Twenty-one black leaders denounce “leftist lies” about Georgia Election Law Twenty-one civil rights leaders and prominent black conservatives defended Georgia’s new election law in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, rejecting opponents’ comparisons to Jim Crow laws. “It has become clear that even well-intentioned critics of the law simply have no idea what the law is,” the black leaders write in the letter. “It is clear they have no idea how favorably Georgia’s new law compares with most other states—including Biden’s home state of Delaware. And it is clear they have no idea that a majority of black voters across the country support the key provision under attack by critics—the simple requirement that voters be able to identify themselves when voting. This is the same simple requirement needed to pick up baseball tickets or board a plane—activities hardly as important as voting.” The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday titled “Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote.” Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who lost the last governor’s race in Georgia, is among those scheduled to testify against the state’s new voting law. April 19: News Max TV: Rep. Greene to introduce legislation to expel Rep. Waters over statements to spur rioting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will introduce a resolution to expel Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters from Congress "for her continual incitement of violence," The Hill reported. The Georgia Republican issued a statement Sunday specifically citing Waters for egging on protesters at a demonstration in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Saturday. Demonstrations erupted in the city last week after police fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Waters told reporters over the weekend that protesters needed to "stay on the street" demanding justice until there is genuine police reform, Fox News reported. The California congresswoman vowed that she is "going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice," adding, "We’ve got to get justice in this country, and we cannot allow these killings to continue." April 18: The Daily Caller: HR 1 The Truth about this bill There aren’t a lot of people who tell the truth about voting rules. As the Senate takes up the bill the House just passed to drastically amend the rules that govern our elections, it seems like a good time to step back and examine what’s really going on. For some reason, the truth is missing from almost all the reporting, both in the liberal press and in conservative media. Preconceived notions aside, it now appears that highly educated people are now voting Democrat more than they used to, and working people are voting Republican more than they used to. The problems with the Democrats’ partisan election “reform” bill are numerous. One provision in particular gives away the partisan motivations. The bill would ban states from requiring voters to show an ID when voting or even when requesting absentee or mail-in ballots. Thirty-six states have ID laws in place that this federal law would preempt. Even aside from the fact that our Constitution puts states in charge of these issues, why would you ever want to ban IDs for voting? Isn’t that an invitation for voter fraud? Proponents of the ban say ID requirements suppress the vote, especially in minority communities — but we require identification for so many things in our day-to-day lives that it would be impossible to get by without one. You couldn’t cash a check, rent a car, buy beer or wine or do hundreds of other tasks without one. To pretend that a simple security measure like identification is somehow voter suppression is to give away your partisan motivation. We need a voting system that lets any eligible voter who wants to vote do so conveniently, and we need systems in place to assure voters that our elections are fair. The Democrats’ proposed partisan voting law misses this balance altogether. April 17: The Washington Times: Bill introduced to withdraw antitrust exemption in wake of MLB decision to move the all-star game If Major League Baseball (MLB) wants to yank the rug out from under Atlanta, then the league should pay, as far as House and Senate Republicans are concerned. They introduced bills last week to eliminate MBL’s antitrust exemption as well as to allow localities to seek damages from the league over the relocation or cancellation of the All-Star Game. Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA) called MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to move the July 13 Midsummer Classic to Denver in a show of opposition to the Georgia election integrity law “a spineless decision based on lies.” “What this [bill] would do is to allow the local communities to recoup some of the costs that have been lost by hardworking Georgians and small businesses that have suffered the consequences of this,” Carter, who sponsored the Community Protection in Sports Act, said. The measure “would make it unlawful for MLB to cancel or relocate a team competition event that is not a part of the regular season, unless it is because of a pandemic, a natural disaster, inclement weather, or disaster declared by the federal or state government,” his office said in a statement. With a Democrat controlled Congress it is highly unlikely this bill will see the light of day, but it makes the point that unwarranted actions can have ramifications. April 17: Breitbart News: Joe Biden overrules staff, increases immigrant inflow Pro-migration Democrats and business allies got Joe Biden to quickly overrule a Friday announcement by his top staff that would have capped the 2021 inflow of refugees at 15,000. “The President’s directive today has been the subject of some confusion,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in an afternoon statement. “We expect the President to set a final, increased refugee cap for the remainder of this fiscal year by May 15,” she added. The scale of the reversal may not be known until May 15, when the final 2021 number is scheduled for release. But pro-migration groups are hoping that Biden will announce a 2021 goal of importing several tens-of-thousands of refugees before October, up from the 15,000 scheduled by former President Donald Trump. April 17: Townhall.com: Murkowski’s (R-AK) challenger is off to an impressive fundraising start On March 29 Alaska Commissioner of Administration Kelly Tshibaka resigned her position to announce her run as a primary challenger to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). According to Must Read Alaska, in the three remaining days of the reporting period, she managed to raise $214,844. In contrast, Sen. Murkowski had raised $380,687 for the entire quarter, with $1,353,204 cash on hand. It's also noteworthy where the funds came from: Tshibaka’s fundraising report shows that the vast majority of her funds came from Alaskans. Tshibaka got more small-dollar donors in her three days than Murkowski got in three months. Murkowski had more checks from political action committees than she did from Alaskans, and five of her Senate colleagues, including Sen. Susan Collins, chipped in to help her with her reelection. April 17: The Washington Examiner: Queen Elizabeth and the commonwealth mourn loss of Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth II mourned the loss of her husband, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with the rest of the British royal family on Saturday. Philip died April 9 at the age of 99. The funeral did not include a eulogy or sermon, which is meant to reflect his ties to the military, Buckingham Palace said. The Dean of Windsor conducted the funeral service while the Archbishop of Canterbury would be doing the blessing. April 16: The Galveston County Daily News: Election Integrity needs "Real Time" enforcement Neither of the two major election integrity bills being considered in the Texas legislature [SB 7 and HB 6] have "real time" enforcement capabilities included in them. There is, however, still hope! Senator Paul Bettencourt of Houston has a bill that does some of what the Ad Hoc Election Integrity Team wants done. That bill is likely to have a hearing scheduled in the near future. Without getting this bill or something like it enacted, much of the work that has been done this year to further election integrity may be a worthwhile undertaking that has little impact on the ground. April 16: The Daily Caller: FBI reportedly investigating government official who debunked the Russian collusion narrative Kash Patel, the former GOP congressional aide who uncovered the FBI’s surveillance abuse against the Trump campaign, is the target of a federal leak investigation, according to a report from The Washington Post. David Ignatius, a columnist for the Post, reported Friday that two sources familiar with the probe said that Patel is being investigated for unauthorized disclosures of classified information. The investigation was sparked by a complaint made by an intelligence agency, according to Ignatius. By his own admission, Patel has ruffled feathers in the intelligence community, FBI and Justice Department due to his aggressive efforts to unlock details of the counterintelligence investigation against the 2016 Trump campaign. Patel served as an investigator for Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee before joining the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Defense Department during the Trump administration. April 15: NewsMax TV: GOP on attempts to expand [stack] the supreme court Republican lawmakers are blasting plans by congressional Democrats to introduce legislation expanding the Supreme Court by four justices. The Democrats' proposal is aimed at breaking the conservative grip on the court, according to Reuters news service. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Congressmen Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Hank Johnson,(D-GA), Mondaire Jones (D-NY) are expected to announce Thursday the introduction of the legislation in both chambers. Republicans quickly reacted to the plan. The Washington Times said Rep. Mike Johnson's (R-LA) denounced the plan to increase the size of the court from nine justices to 13. "The idea of packing the Supreme Court is so dangerous, we have to address it now," Johnson said. Dan Bishop, (R-NC) tweeted: "The cat is out of the bag. Dems will pursue power at any cost. Make no mistake. They will vote to pack #SCOTUS next." Jim Jordan (R-OH) also condemned Democrats for their plans. "Imagine if we reduced the number from nine to five and just kept the Republicans," Jordan is quoted by the Times. "You guys would go crazy." "Does expanding the Supreme Court count as infrastructure too?" he added. April 15: The Washington Free Beacon: China-backed student group pressures Cornell over move against partnership with CCP institution A student group backed by the Chinese embassy is pressuring Cornell University to ignore faculty and student opposition and push forward with a multimillion-dollar partnership with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime. The Cornell chapter is circulating a petition calling on Cornell to launch a controversial dual degree program bankrolled by the Chinese Ministry of Education. The group dismisses allegations of Chinese human-rights abuses as an attempt to "deliberately discredit and attack China." Students frequently launch petition campaigns—but unlike most student groups, this group has the official backing of a foreign government. It is the "ONLY Chinese student organization officially supported by [the] Embassy of People's Republic of China at Cornell University," according to its website. It is unclear what role the Chinese government played in this petition, but Beijing has a history of using these student organizations to influence campus discourse. According to Foreign Policy, the Chinese consulate has also ordered the 150 student chapters across the country to disseminate CCP propaganda on social media and have encouraged the groups to denounce anti-China views on campus. According to an ABC news report the group's Australian chapter also spied on students on behalf of the Chinese government. April 15: NewsMax TV: Vice President Pence receives a heart pacemaker Former Vice President Mike Pence received a heart pacemaker device during routine surgery on Wednesday and is expected to fully recover, his spokesman said on Thursday. Pence, 61, who previously disclosed an "asymptomatic" heart condition, underwent the procedure at the Inova Fairfax medical facility in Virginia after experiencing symptoms associated with a slow heart rate over the past two weeks. “I am grateful for the swift professionalism and care of the outstanding doctors, nurses and staff at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute," Pence said in a statement, adding thanks to his doctors in his home state of Indiana. April 14: The Washington Free Beacon: Federal Appeals Court upholds Ohio law banning down syndrome abortions appeals court upheld an Ohio law banning abortions of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome Tuesday, marking a victory for the pro-life movement at the state level. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ohio's Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act in a 9-7 ruling, overturning a three-judge panel that ruled against the law. The court found the law did not create an "undue burden" on the right to an abortion because it limited doctors from performing abortions only when a mother discloses she's requesting the procedure because her child has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. "[The law] furthers three valid and legitimate interests by protecting: (1) the Down syndrome community from the stigma associated with the practice of Down-syndrome-selective abortions, (2) pregnant women and their families from coercion by doctors who advocate abortion of Down-syndrome-afflicted [babies], and (3) the integrity and ethics of the medical profession by preventing doctors from becoming witting participants in Down-syndrome-selective abortions," the court wrote in its opinion. "[The law] allows doctors to perform such abortions when they do not know that Down syndrome is the reason, without undermining [the law's] specific purposes or objectives." April 14: NewsMax TV: Almost half of GOP says they will not get the CCP coronavirus vaccine shot Almost half of all Republicans said they would never get the Covid-19 vaccine in the latest poll from the Mommouth University Polling Institute, far more than the portion Democrats or independents who said the same. “The number of people who have been skittish about the vaccine has dropped as more Americans line up for the shot, but the hard core group who want to avoid it at all costs has barely budged. The recent news about J&J vaccines is probably not going to help that situation.” said Patrick Murray, the independent institute’s director. The poll showed that 43% of Republicans, 5% of Democrats, and 22% of independents said they would not get the vaccine.
March 30: Fox Business: With ship now freed, investigation of Suez Canal grounding begins Experts boarded the massive container ship Tuesday that had blocked Egypt’s vital Suez Canal and disrupted global trade for nearly a week, seeking answers to a single question that could have billions of dollars in legal repercussions: What went wrong? As convoys of ships again began traveling through the artery linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas, a canal service provider said more than 300 vessels carrying everything from crude oil to cattle were still waiting for their turn in a process that will take days. Egyptian government officials, insurers, shippers and others similarly waited for more details about what caused the skyscraper-sized Ever Given to become wedged across the canal on March 23. March 30: The Daily Caller: Washington Post gives Biden four Pinochios for lies about the Georgia election law The Washington Post has awarded Joe Biden with “Four Pinocchios” for his claim that a Georgia election law will prevent working-class people from voting. The Post makes the awards to political figures who make false claims, with four being the highest number for the most blatant of lies. Georgia’s SB 202 became law last week, limiting the number of drop boxes that can be used during an election and requiring voters have identification whether they submit ballots in person or by mail. Biden criticized the legislation in a written statement, claiming, “Among the outrageous parts of this new state law, it ends voting hours early so working people can’t cast their vote after their shift is over.” However, experts contacted by the Post said this section of the bill actually expanded early voting for many Georgians.” “Biden framed his complaint in terms of a slap at working people. | |
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