 Information on the "IKE DIKE" Coastal Barrier September 30: The Post Newspaper: Lack of Planning means goals aren't reached Should Joe Biden be impeached? Probably. Should doing so be a priority, pushing aside other legislative responsibilities. "Probably not!" the first priority of the Congress is to fulfill its constitutional job description. That responsibility includes the funding of the federal government – the current funding expires at midnight tonight. When the House left for its "August Recess" on July 27th it had only passed one of the twelve appropriation funding bills needed to keep the government running. This begs the question: "Why hasn't the Congress been doing its job?" Instead of taking six plus weeks off, they should have stayed in session through August, if doing so was necessary to get their appropriations work done. Better yet, they should have passed all twelve funding bills in the House by the end of July, thereby leaving enough time to work out differences with the Senate versions. This is the same problem we have seen in the House under both Democrat and Republican leadership and, in our humble opinion, it needs to stop! Late today the passed (335-91) a "clean" short-term 45-day extension of funding for the entire federal government. Shortly thereafter the Senate followed suit by a vote of 88-9. Among those voting against the "clean" bill [meaning that the current 2023 spending levels are continued without any reduction in spending] were conservative members of both chambers. At a minimum, these members wanted a roll back of spending to FY2022 levels thereby reducing federal spending, and many wanted to go farther than that. As a result of the bill's passage, the House has the opportunity to pass the remainder of its 12 appropriation bills, but it only has 45 calendar days [less in legislative days] to get this done or be faced with the same situation they just experienced. September 30: Fox News: House passes 45-day continuing resolution Senate to act this evening The Senate is primed to vote on legislation to avert a government shutdown, with a decision expected to be reached Saturday night. The House overwhelmingly passed the short-term spending measure to fund the government for another 45 days Saturday afternoon by a vote of 335 to 91, causing lawmakers to break out into applause amid the pressure of a shutdown. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) set up a roll call shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The Senate will need 60 votes to pass the bill. The legislation is a clean bill without any spending cuts, something fiscal conservatives wanted included. Unlike the "spin" from major media outlets, if the bill failed to pass it would not mean federal workers would not be paid. History shows that those employees who are furloughed are paid retroactively for the hours they have been off – kind of like a paid vacation. Update: The Senate subsequently passed the measure 88-9. September 30: The Washington Examiner: Gaetz; McCarthy's speakership is on "tenuous ground" Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), one of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's 's (R-CA) biggest Republican critics, said his speakership is on "tenuous grounds" as Congress attempts to avoid a government shutdown while the speaker dared him to bring a motion to oust him to the floor. Just hours before a shutdown is set to go into effect, the House introduced a plan for a 45-day clean continuing resolution on Saturday. In the days and weeks leading up to this weekend, Gaetz has threatened McCarthy with a vote to remove him while other conservatives have expressed they would support the motion. Previously, Gaetz has said that if McCarthy were to put a clean continuing resolution on the floor, then he would automatically move to a motion to vacate. "If Kevin McCarthy puts a [clean] continuing resolution on the floor, it's going to be shot, chaser. Continuing resolution, motion to vacate," he told reporters earlier this month.  September 29: Taiwan News: Taiwan launches first indigenously built submarine
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday put on Twitter a post marking the historic launch of Taiwan's first domestically-built submarine. Tsai declared, "History will always remember this day" and despite the challenges encountered over the past three years, the vessel's presence behind her proved "We did it!" She said the submarines are an important part of developing the Navy's asymmetric combat capabilities and that they are vital for Taiwan to implement "national defense independence," enabling its combat capabilities to be continuously updated. Tsai closed by vowing that in the future, the Hai Kun will "carry Taiwan's tenacious and brave spirit, dive deep under the sea, silently guard our homeland, protect our freedom and democracy, and become Taiwan's force propelling Taiwan forward through the waves." Not said is the importance of having a capable submarine fleet that can protect against aggression by the growing Communist Chinese navy. September 29: Fox News: 21 Conservative GOP members & House Dems vote down stop gap spending measure A group of fiscally conservative GOP members joined Democrats in sinking House Republicans' stopgap funding bill on Friday, significantly raising the chances of a government shutdown happening over the weekend. A procedural vote to advance the bill passed earlier in the day, but final passage failed on a 198 to 232 vote. Twenty-one Republicans voted against it, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Nancy Mace, (R-SC). It's a heavy blow to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), whose leadership has faced public threats throughout the spending battle so far from some in the right flank of his conference. A short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), is almost certainly needed to give lawmakers more time to cobble together twelve individual spending bills for fiscal year 2024 – measures that should have been passed by the House in July but which the House failed to do prior to its six-week August recess [See related story]. LINK Republican leaders have had a hard time so far corralling their conference into some kind of agreement. A faction of conservatives have, for weeks, said they are opposed to any CR. The House GOP's CR proposal included an amendment to slash spending for its month-long duration to fiscal 2022 levels, about $130 billion less than the current year's. It also featured elements from House Republicans' border security bill, and McCarthy said a new provision would mandate the creation of a bipartisan committee to study the federal debt.  September 29: Breitbart News: Senator Diane Feinstein passes at 90 Liberal Democrat California Senator Dianne Feinstein passed away this morning at the age of 90 after serving in public office for decades. Feinstein was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, alongside fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer, in a rare circumstance that saw both of California's seats open at the same time, due to retirements. She was inspired by Anita Hill's testimony against Supreme Court nominee/Justice Clarence Thomas, and furious at Hill's treatment by men like Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE). Feinstein was regarded as a reliable liberal vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a particularly partisan turn, she introduced unsubstantiated claims of past sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee/Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. But she was more than just a partisan crusader: she also drew respect for her expertise on national security issues, and was chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2009 to 2015. In that role, Feinstein encountered several controversies. One of these controversy erupted in 2018, when it emerged that a man who had been her driver for two decades was accused of being a Chinese spy. September 29: One America News Network: SCOTUS agrees to hear case of Texas/Florida laws constraining social media companies The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide the legality of Republican-backed state laws in Texas and Florida that constrains the ability of social media companies to curb content on their platforms that these businesses deem objectionable. The justices took up two cases involving challenges by technology industry groups who argued these 2021 laws restrict the content-moderation practices of large social media platforms and violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections for freedom of speech. Lower courts split on the issue, striking down key provisions of Florida's law while upholding the Texas measure. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) President Matt Schruers called the court's decision to tackle the case encouraging. Supporters of the laws have argued that social media platforms have engaged in impermissible censorship and have silenced conservative voices in particular. Advocates of content moderation have argued for the need to stop misinformation and the amplification of extremist causes.  September 28: The Washington Times: Impeachment inquiry begins with new docs strengthen claims Joe Biden helps his son in business deals House lawmakers on Thursday launched their Joe Biden impeachment inquiry with newly released documents they say strengthen their claims he helped his son secure foreign business deals and that the Justice Department worked to cover up the action. "The Ways and Means Committee released new documents showing [Joe Bisen] was not just aware of his son's business dealings, but he was connected to them," Chairman Jason Smith (R-MI) said. Some of the documents include messages and emails from the president's brother James Biden and son Hunter that reference the elder Biden's involvement in their business deals. Other documents show efforts by the Justice Department to stop IRS and FBI officials from investigating Biden during their probe of Hunter 's tax fraud and gun crimes. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said bank financial records have revealed more than $20 million in profits from the foreign business deals, many of them dating back to Biden's time as vice president, and much of the money flowed into the bank accounts of nine Biden family members. All of it belies Joe Biden's insistence that he had no involvement in his son's foreign deals, lawmakers said. September 28: The Daily Signal: GOP's second presidential debate contentious Fox News Channel host Dana Perino, Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney, and Univision anchor Ilia Calderon co-hosted the two-hour debate, which often turned highly contentious, with the candidates talking over and arguing with one another. During the debate Perino asked whether the candidates would support a federal parental bill of rights to ensure that students can't change their gender identity without their parents being informed. Christie said that he supported just such a bill the week before the debate. Ramaswamy called "transgenderism, especially in kids, is a mental health disorder. We have to acknowledge the truth." "The very people who say that this increases the risk of suicide are also saying that parents don't have a right to know about that increased risk of suicide," Ramaswamy said. "I'm sorry. It is not compassionate to affirm a kid's confusion. That is not compassion. It's cruelty." Pence weighed in on the issue of parental rights saying he would stand up for the rights of parents and that "we're going to pass a federal ban on transgender chemical or surgical—surgery anywhere in the country," claiming "we've got to protect our kids from this radical transgender ideology agenda." Former President Trump decided not to attend the debate and instead met with rank-and-file members of the UAW in Michigan.  September 28: News Max: UAW president meets with Biden, Trump welcomed by the rank-and-file
The UAW president met with Joe Biden yesterday but declined the opportunity to meet with former President Trump today. Instead, Trump met with the working-class members of the UAW today and urged them to press UAW leadership to endorse him for president, saying it was the best way to get the best deal for the working-class members. "All cars are going to be electric in a short period of time — 10 years, they talk about. But they want to do it sooner, and that will put the American autoworker out of business entirely," Trump said. "You can make a good deal on your hourly wage." But in two years you may have a job at all because of the EV push. "It's not sustainable… And for the consumer it's no good, because they don't go far enough and they're very expensive." In line with his policy proposal to curb the EV mandates to keep the U.S. auto industry thriving, Trump concluded the key to slowing Biden-caused inflation will be "drill, baby, drill." September 27: Fox News: San Francisco's mayor announced plans to require drug testing for all welfare recipients Democratic San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday unveiled a plan to require anyone receiving welfare to comply with mandatory drug testing and treatment programs amid growing pressure to get ahold of the city's homeless and fentanyl crises . Announcing the proposal with Supervisor Matt Dorsey, a recovering addict and former spokesperson for the police department Breed said the new initiative would require individuals with substance use disorders who want to access county-funded cash assistance to be enrolled in treatment and services. "San Francisco is a city of compassion, but also a city that demands accountability," Breed said in a statement. "We fund a wide range of services, and we want to help people get the care they need but under current state law, local government lack tools to compel people into treatment. This initiative aims to create more accountability and help get people to accept the treatment and services they need." September 27: The Washington Examiner: Senator Manchin circulates senate dress code proposal to undo the "Fetterman policy" The petition Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVA) has reportedly been circulating to reverse the recent relaxation of the Senate dress code calls for men to wear a coat, tie, and long pants on the Senate floor. Manchin has been circulating the petition after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) directed the Senate's Sergeant at Arms to stop enforcing the formal dress code traditionally upheld in the upper chamber earlier this month. "Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit," Schumer said in a statement regarding the move. Fetterman's usual uniform is the likely inspiration for this move, as the senator—who suffered a stroke during his 2022 campaign and received recent inpatient treatment for clinical depression—has frequently been voting from the edge of the Senate floor, holding a thumbs up or down to indicate his vote. But not all Democrats are in agreement with the move. Manchin, for one, has been courting colleagues for their support of the two-page measure "Show Our Respect To the Senate Resolution," or the SHORTS resolution.  September 27: The Daily Caller: Biden rushes to beat Trump to UAW picket line while former Obama advisor calls it a mistake Joe Biden rushed to the picket line to join the striking United Auto Workers (UAW) in Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday, one day before former President Donald Trump planned to address former and current union workers in the city. Biden's announcement (September 22) was seen as an effort to out-trump Trump while negotiations continued to stall. On September 18th, Trump revealed he would travel to Detroit, MI instead of attending Wednesdays second GOP debate. He announced he would be meeting with plumbers, electricians and autoworkers currently or previously part of the UAW. Meanwhile, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama blasted Biden for joining striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Tuesday. "For him to be going on a picket line is outrageous," Steve Rattner, who was the "auto czar" during the Obama administration, said in an interview. "There's no precedent for it. The tradition of the president is to stay neutral in these things. I get the politics. The progressives all said, 'We don't want a mediator; we want an advocate.' And he bowed to the progressives, and now he's going out there to put his thumb on the scale. And it's wrong." The union seeks a four-day work week and a 36% salary increase over five years. Biden endorsed the union's demand for the pay increase even though the UAW has criticized his efforts to promote electric vehicles which has turned out to be a big loss for the automakers because car buyers are, by and large, not interested in purchasing them.  September 26: Fox News: Biden nearly stumbles exiting Air Force One hours after efforts exposed to prevent more falls Joe Biden nearly took a tumble down the stairs while getting off Air Force Once in Michigan on Tuesday, hours after it was exposed that his campaign team was making efforts to prevent him from taking a spill in public during the election season. Among other steps taken to keep Biden from falling was the change to have him use the 15-step ramp on the aircraft instead of the larger stairway usually used by presidents. The 80-year-old president had just landed in Detroit when he disembarked from the jumbo jet at Detroit Metro Airport. Around the eighth step, Biden was seen slipping before quickly correcting his balance and continuing down the steps. Earlier this year, the White House physician diagnosed Biden with "significant spinal arthritis." Since then, he has had multiple tripping incidents that have many people questioning his age and whether he is fit to serve as president. To prevent another embarrassing fall, Axios reported Tuesday, Biden's team is making a conscious effort to have him wear tennis shoes and limit stair climbs. September 26: One America News Network: FTC sues Amazon for monopolistic practices On Tuesday, the FTC and the 17 state attorneys general accused Amazon of illegally maintaining its monopoly power to "inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation for consumers and business." The states that joined the FTC lawsuit were Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. "Our complaint lays out how Amazon has used a set of punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies," FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. "The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them."  September 26: Sky News:
Seven ships have left Odesa through the temporary humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces has said. During a briefing, Pletenchuk said: "That is, seven out of seven successful cases. Two entered, seven left. "Five vessels are those that were here before the start of the full-scale invasion. Accordingly, this process continues. "We are doing everything to ensure the safety of the area where ships are in our territorial waters." After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow closed off the Black Sea ports from one of the world's biggest suppliers of grain, in what Kyiv and its Western backers called an attempt to use global food supplies as blackmail. In July 2022, the ports were reopened under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that allowed Russia to inspect ships for arms. But Moscow quit the deal a year later and reimposed the blockade, saying its demands for better terms for its own food and fertilizer exports were being ignored. September 25: WBIR Fox 10: Biden Admin moves to deport Christian family while welcoming millions of illegals to the USA Originally from Germany, the Romeike family fled to the U.S. after being fined approximately $9,000 for homeschooling their children in their mother country. Initially, an immigration judge found the Romeike family's asylum claim appropriate. But Obama Department of Justice appealed the decision and the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals revoked the family's asylum status. Since the family moved to the U.S. in 2008 two of their adult children have married U.S. citizens and they have had two more children born in the country, automatically making them U.S. citizens as well. "Our oldest children were in school in the German public schools, and their personality literally changed," Romeike said. "We wanted to help them to grow up in what they believed in, and what we believe in and not get basically indoctrinated with something we don't want." Then two weeks ago, an immigration agent asked his family to return in four weeks, with German passports, and to prepare to self-deport. With the push from the Biden Administration to essentially allow all comers to cross the U.S. southern border illegally, they are pushing to deport this Christian family which has been living in America legally for fifteen years. September 25: The Daily Caller: Federal Appeals Court to rehear case that could devastate Biden Admin's censorship regime The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Monday to consider expanding its injunction barring the Biden administration from coercing or significantly encouraging social media companies to censor speech to include other entities it initially excluded. The three federal judges who ruled earlier this month that the White House, Surgeon General, CDC and FBI violated the First Amendment agreed Monday to the plaintiff's request that they rehear the case and consider extending the injunction to other agencies, which they previously said the district court "erred" in including. The plaintiffs requested the court reinstate the injunction to include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and State Department officials, along with reinstating portions of the district court's injunction preventing government officials from collaborating with the private-sector partners including the Election Integrity Partnership and Virality Project. September 25: Fox News: Reporters pile on frustrated Biden press secretary over plans for Biden to join the UAW picket line Reporters at Monday's White House press briefing piled on press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over Joe Biden's decision to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) on the picket line Tuesday amid their strike against the Big Three car manufacturers. During the briefing, an increasingly frustrated Jean-Pierre pushed back as multiple members of the media questioned why Biden would be picketing alongside the union members if the administration's position was to avoid getting involved in the negotiations between the companies and the UAW. One reporter asked if Biden's decision to picket meant he supported the demands of the union, such as a 40% pay increase and a shorter work week. September 24: Sky News: Russia lost top naval commanders in Sevastopol missile strike, Ukraine says Ukraine has reported that its missile strike on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea hit a gathering of senior naval officials, causing casualties among top commanders and resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. The missile assault was launched by Kyiv on Friday morning, targeting the fleet situated in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, which is currently under Russian occupation. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's intelligence chief, revealed to Voice of America that Kyiv's assault on the Black Sea Fleet resulted in a reported nine fatalities and 16 injuries. He added that Alexander Romanchuk, a Russian general overseeing forces on the critical southeastern front, was in a severely critical condition following the attack. The Russian defense ministry initially reported the casualty count from Friday's strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters as one service member killed. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military disclosed their air force carried out a total of 12 strikes on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, specifically targeting areas with a concentration of personnel, military equipment and weaponry. They reported hitting two anti-aircraft missile systems and four Russian artillery units during the operation. September 24: The Epoch Times: NJ Congressman to run against Menendez in Dem. primary after bribery indictment announced Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ) has announced he is seeking to run in 2024 for the senate seat of incumbent Bob Menendez. Menendez, who is up for reelection in 2024, was recently indicted on bribery charges. Amid mounting calls for him to resign, the Senator said Friday he would not do so. However, he stepped down from his position as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  September 24: Texas Scorecard: Texas GOP Executive Committee calls upon Speaker Phelan to resign (58-2) In 58-2 vote, the Republican Party of Texas approved a resolution calling on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign. The resolution was approved during the State Republican Executive Committee meeting in Corpus Christi on Saturday, and cites Phelan's embrace of the failed impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as his appointment of Democrats to leadership positions. Cited were his pressuring of House members to vote for the impeachment and his continuing to defend of his actions; the appointment of nine Democrats to chair key House committees; and his slow walking or ignoring key GOP initiatives (i.e., prioritizing border protection measures during the regular legislative session). September 24: News Max: Washington Post buries poll results showing Trump leading Biden Trump drew a majority 52% support among registered voters in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup versus Biden, whose support has sunk to just 42% in the latest left leaning Washington Post-ABC News poll. The Post's report Sunday morning said other polling might be more accurately showing the electorate's support for Biden as closer to a "virtual dead heat." "The Post-ABC poll shows Biden trailing Trump by 10 percentage points at this early stage in the election cycle, although the sizable margin of Trump's lead in this survey is significantly at odds with other public polls that show the general election contest a virtual dead heat," the left leading Washington Post story read. "The difference between this poll and others, as well as the unusual makeup of Trump's and Biden's coalitions in this survey, suggest it is probably an outlier." Notably, Trump was leading by 6 points among registered voters in May, too (49%-43%). While Trump leading Biden in a poll by double digits is unique, if not headline news in the Post, ABC News did not mention Trump leading Biden by 10 points among registered voters until the 19th paragraph, first mentioning Biden trails by 9 among U.S. adults (51%-42%) in paragraph 11. September 24: The Washington Examiner: First hearing scheduled for Biden impeachment House Republicans plan to hold their first hearing on the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden on Thursday, and they are aiming for a number of other behind-closed-doors interviews and depositions in the days and weeks to follow. The hearing, titled "The Basis for an Impeachment Inquiry of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.," will be conducted by the House Oversight Committee and focus on "constitutional and legal questions" related to allegations Biden was improperly involved in his son Hunter Biden's business dealings. The committee has not publicly confirmed witnesses for the hearing yet. Chairman James Comer's (R-KY) office also said last week he planned to subpoena bank records of two of the president's immediate family members, his son Hunter Biden and brother James Biden. Comer, alongside two other chairmen, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jason Smith (R-MO), are leading the impeachment inquiry into claims that Joe Biden used his authority as vice president for his and his son's personal financial gain. They are also looking into allegations from Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers that the Justice Department extended preferential treatment to Hunter Biden as it investigated him for tax and other crimes, leading key statutes of limitations to run out.  September 23: One American News Network:Gov. Newsome (D-CA) vetoes "gender identity" bill Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a California Bill that would allow parents to lose custody of their children if they refused to accept their gender identity. On Friday, Newsom vetoed AB 957, which the Assembly had approved on a party-line vote of 57-16. The governor wrote his veto message that the bill's approach could be used "to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities." Moreover, a court, under existing law, is required to consider a child's health, safety, and welfare when determining the best interests of a child in these proceedings, including the parent's affirmation of the child's gender identity," Newsom's message read. "For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill." The bill was introduced by Democrat Assemblywoman Lori Wilson in hopes that parents will "affirm their children" in their gender identity saying "our duty as parents is to affirm our children." Newsom stated that he appreciated the "passion and values" by Wilson and that he shares a "deep commitment to advancing the rights of transgender Californians, an effort that has guided [his] decisions through many decades in public office." September 23: News Max: Trump; "Nobody" attended Biden's UN speech Republican front-runner and former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to comment on Joe Biden's "surrender" speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York. "Biden just finished his surrender ('speech') at the United Nations, and nobody, despite all we give them, showed up. No respect for America any longer!" Trump said. Indeed, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak skipped the assembly, leaving the U.S. as the sole member out of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to actually attend. "While Sunak and Macron have an excuse, I do think it is telling that they are absent," Richard Gowan, U.N. director for the International Crisis Group, said. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also did not attend. Chinese President Xi Jinping also skipped, as he did last week's G-20 in India. Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't attend either. In his speech, Biden appealed to the world leaders who did attend — including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian ambassador to the U.N. ¬ — to stand with Ukraine against Russia's invasion. "Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence," Biden said. "If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?" September 23: Rasussenreports.com: Weekly review of polls In surveys last week, this is what America told Rasmussen Reports: (1) 45% of those surveyed approve of the job Joe Biden is doing. (2) More than two-thirds of American voters are worried that their country is turning into a police state [a tyrannical government that engages in mass surveillance, censorship, ideological indoctrination, and targeting of political opponents] (3) A quarter of Democratic voters favor Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in their party's primary, and many would vote for Kennedy if he ran as a third-party candidate in 2024. (4) Concerns remain high over the integrity of elections with most voters worried that cheating could be a factor in next year's election. And (5) If the 2024 election proves to be a rematch between Biden and Trump, many voters are open to voting for a third-party challenger. September 22: Fox News: Biden handed major legal defeat over drilling in the Gulf of Mexico A federal court struck down the Biden administration's last-minute restrictions on an upcoming offshore oil and gas lease sale in a ruling late Thursday evening. Judge James Cain of the Western District of Louisiana granted a preliminary injunction request from plaintiffs — the State of Louisiana, industry association American Petroleum Institute (API) and oil companies Chevron and Shell — to block the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) restrictions on Lease Sale 261. The lease sale spanning millions of acres across the Gulf of Mexico is slated for next week. Cain ruled the federal government must proceed with the lease sale by Sept. 30 under its original conditions. As a result of a July settlement with environmental groups, BOEM removed about six million acres from the sale and imposed various restrictions on oil and gas vessels associated with the leases auctioned to protect the Rice's whale species found in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. "The court observes that plaintiffs have demonstrated substantial potential costs resulting from the challenged provisions," Cain wrote in his decision. "While the government defendants largely focus on the acreage withdrawal and dynamics of the sale itself, many of plaintiffs' alleged hardships arise from the vessel restrictions." September 22: News Max: McCarthy; There is still time to pass a short-term spending bill House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Friday he thinks it's still possible to push forward a partisan short-term stopgap in the House bill next week. "We've got members working, and hopefully we'll be able to move forward on Tuesday to pass these bills," McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol. He signaled his preference for avoiding a closure, but the small minority of conservative Republican members in the House will have a major say in whether a short-term extension is possible, and what will be in it. "I still believe if you shut down, you're in a weaker position," he said. "You need the time to fund the government while you pass all the appropriations bills," McCarthy said. He reportedly believes the conservative Republican "hold outs" will cave when they face the final crunch of an actual shutdown. However, if the House had been doing its job all along, all 12 appropriation measures would have been passed by the House by July of this year. As it is, only one has been passed by the House. [See related story] September 22: iHeart Media/KTRH Houston: Menendez (D-NJ) and wife indicted on bribery charges The Justice Department announced today that New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were indicted on bribery charges. Menedez and his wife are accused of receiving cash, gold bars, a luxury car, payments toward a home mortgage, and other benefits in exchange for helping enrich local New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government. Prosecutors allege that overall, Menedez received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. The indictment also claims that Mendez "promised to and did use his influence and power and breach his official duty to recommend that the President nominate an individual for U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who Menendez believed could be influenced by Menendez with respect to the federal prosecution of Fred Daibes," a wealthy New Jersey developer. This is the second time Menendez has been indicted during his term in office.  September 22: News Max: Matt Gaetz (R-FL); The House is trying to undo Speaker McCarthy's failures Rep. Gaetz, said Friday that House Republicans are racing against the clock on the budget crisis to "correct" the "failures" of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) whom he's been openly critical of for some time. "The issue is Kevin McCarthy purposefully backed us up against the wall where government funding was running out, and we hadn't passed single-subject spending bills," Gaetz said. "So, we're now trying to do work to correct the failures of Kevin McCarthy. Thursday at 3 p.m., while we're here trying to hammer this stuff out, Kevin McCarthy sent everyone home. This is not the French work week. We've got only a few legislative days left before the country runs out of money and you've got Kevin McCarthy quite literally punting while we're trying to move the ball forward. So, I give him no credit for this movement. It has happened in spite of him, not because of him, and we're going to have to address his leadership after we get through this government funding crisis." "Here's what it looks like: reviewing single-subject spending bills where agencies of government have to stand before us and defend their budget without all being lumped together," he continued. "Since 1997, this country has been governed by either a continuing resolution or an omnibus bill, and what those two things have in common is that every disparate agency that's in government is subjected to just one up or down vote to fund the whole thing or not fund the whole thing. That is unserious, we have moved away from that…" [See Related Story]  September 22: The Epoch Times: Commerce Secretary testifies before Congress on China's advanced chips The United States has seen no evidence that Chinese manufacturer Huawei can make advanced smartphone chips "at scale," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told lawmakers on Sept. 19. Huawei recently launched the Mate 60 Pro phone that some analysts described as a "milestone" for China, spotlighting a 7-nanometer chip built domestically by China's top chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. Beijing has hailed the new device as Huawei's "triumphant return" four years after the United States moved to cut off the firm's access to essential chipmaking technologies. Raimondo acknowledged she was "upset" upon hearing about China's technological breakthrough during her trip to the country last month. September 21: The Epoch Times: Will the SCOTUS consider whether Trump can be on the ballot in 2024 By October 9th the U.S. Supreme Court will make a decision on whether to take up a case on whether former President Donald Trump can be disqualified from running for office based on an interpretation of the 14th Amendment after a long-shot GOP presidential candidate filed a lawsuit. Castro claimed in his petition that the former president should be disqualified due to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, invoking allegations that Trump partook in an insurrection against the U.S. government even though none of the multiple indictments of the former president have included charges of insurrection. Castro's initial suit was dismissed in June by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is also overseeing the classified documents case brought about by the federal government against President Trump. Castro has claimed that as a Republican candidate, President Trump appearing on the New Hampshire ballot impedes his capacity to get small-dollar donations. Federal Election Commission records show that he has raised zero dollars and gave his own presidential campaign $20 million. September 21: The Washington Times: House scrambling to pass spending measures before government default House Republicans are still scrambling to put together a package of spending measures with fresh cuts in lieu of making progress on stopgap spending legislation to prevent a partial government shutdown on Sept. 30. Word of the package comes as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy failed for the second time this week to advance a procedural vote for the annual defense spending bill, which is considered by many to be a layup vote for conservatives. Time is running out for lawmakers to do something before the government partially shuts down. There are only nine calendar days left before the Sept. 30 deadline. September 21: The Epoch Times: UAW President files complaint with NLRB against Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), alleging violations of federal labor law. Fain's complaint centers on remarks made by Mr. Scott concerning striking workers, which the union boss argues encroached upon workers' rights. The dispute comes after Scott, a contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, was questioned about the ongoing UAW strike during a campaign event in Iowa earlier this week. Mr. Scott commended former President Ronald Reagan's actions in 1981 when he terminated thousands of federal employees who had initiated a strike. "I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike," he said. "He said, you strike, you're fired. Simple concept to me to the extent that we can use that once again."  September 21: The Washington Times:Fourth IRS official discloses "roadblocks" against charging Hunter Biden A fourth IRS official has told Congress about roadblocks that now-special counsel David Weiss faced last year in attempting to bring charges against Hunter Biden outside his home district of Delaware. Darrell Waldon, the former IRS special agent in charge of the agency's Washington field office, told the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed-door interview earlier this month about a number of challenges he witnessed during his two years on the case, according to a transcript of the interview.  September 20: The Daily Caller: Dems, freak out over Trump's plan to visit striking auto workers
Former President Donald Trump's plan to visit United Auto Workers (UAW) members who are striking in Detroit, Michigan, is causing some Democrats close to the White House to freak out and think that the Biden campaign needs to "step up," according to a Politico report. Trump is expected to skip the second GOP Presidential debate on Sept. 27, instead planning to speak with current and former UAW members in Detroit. The move has reportedly caused Democrats close to the White House to worry that the former president's 2024 campaign strategy may be more sophisticated than in the past. "Trump scooped us. Now if we announce we're going, it looks like we're just going because of Trump," a national Democratic strategist said. "We waited too long. That's the challenge." The UAW began its strike shortly after its contract with automakers expired on Sept. 14. The union is demanding a whopping 46% pay raise over five years and a shortened work week while asking to be paid for a 40-hour work week. Some Democrats close to the White House said the move is viewed as a "cynical ploy" to earn the support of striking UAW members. One union worker said that "[Trump] actually has people who know what they're doing. He boxed Biden in. It was kinda genius." September 20: Rassmussen Reports: Many Democrats say they would consider voting for RFK, Jr. as third party candidate A quarter of Democratic voters favor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in their party's primary, and many would vote for Kennedy if he ran as a third-party candidate in 2024. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 57% of Likely Democratic voters would vote for Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries, while 25% would vote for RFK Jr. Many of the RFK voters indicated they might be willing to vote for him if he decided to run as a third-party candidate. September 20: The New York Post: Rep. Thomas Massie rips AG Merrick Garland over Jan. 6 informants: 'You may have just perjured yourself' Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) accused Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday of lying during a House Judiciary Committee hearing about his knowledge of federal law enforcement activities during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Massie previously tangled with Garland in October 2021 over the same issue, questioning whether undercover FBI agents were present at the storming of the Capitol. At the time, Massie  showed video footage of then-Arizona Oath Keepers president Roy Epps, who had urged protesters on the eve of the "Stop the Steal" rally "to go into the Capitol" — but had never been charged. On Wednesday, Garland told Massie and other members of the House Judiciary Committee that he had no knowledge of federal involvement on Jan. 6 — despite an FBI official testifying in June that "a handful" of confidential human sources were there. "That was your answer to a question to me two years ago, when I said how many agents or assets of the government were present on January 5 and January 6, and agitating in the crowd to go into the Capitol and how many went into the Capitol," Massie recounted. "Can you answer that now?"
September 20: The Washington Examiner: AG Garland on the hot seat before House Judiciary House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) accused the Department of Justice of "unequal application of the law" during his opening remarks at a hearing Wednesday, setting the stage for a contentious afternoon as lawmakers confront Attorney General Merrick Garland. Jordan said, "Americans believe that today in our country there is unequal application of the law, and they believe that because there is." The chairman, first criticized the attorney general for appointing David Weiss as special counsel in the case against Hunter Biden and highlighted concerns with special counsel Jack Smith's two historic indictments of former President Donald Trump. Jordan pointed to a now-failed plea deal between special counsel Weiss and Hunter Biden, noting that a federal judge who raised issues with the plea deal found the deal to be abnormally broad. Garland appointed "the guy who let all that happen," Jordan observed. Garland in his opening remarks made one of his first and most direct objections to Republicans' accusations, saying, "Our job is to help keep our country safe. ... There is not one set of laws for the powerful and one for the powerless." September 20: Sky News: Russian losses significantly increased in recent days Russian losses have "significantly increased" in western Zaporizhzhia in recent days, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The US-based thinktank said the Russian military "likely struggles with a lack of available combat effective units that the Russian command is willing to laterally redeploy to this sector of the front." The ISW's analysis also said both Russian and Ukrainian sources "credited superior Ukrainian combat coordination, more precise artillery fire, and stronger electronic warfare systems for recent Ukrainian advances south of Bakhmut amid continued discussions of significant Russian losses in the area." September 19: Fox News: Local Washington state mayor calls. 911; complaining about people gathering petition signatures outside Walmart A state of Washington mayor said she's being harassed after audio from her 911 call to report a group of "far right-wing" petition signature gatherers at Walmart surfaced. There's some far right-wing petitioners at Walmart and they don't—they're not leaving," Yakima Mayor Janice Deccio can be heard saying in a 911 call from Sept. 3. "Walmart has asked them repeatedly to do so, and the police have not taken them off the premises." Activists were gathering signatures on six Washington ballot initiatives relating to taxes, parental rights and police pursuits over the Labor Day weekend. In the 911 call, the dispatcher and a supervisor can be heard telling Mayor Deccio the petitioners have a right to gather signatures on private property under state law and that Walmart would need to obtain a court order to stop them. "Gathering signatures for ballot measure petitions is a constitutionally guaranteed practice in the State of Washington," according to the Washington Secretary of State's office, which acknowledges the law does not clearly spell out to what extent businesses or other private property owners can exclude petitioners.  September 18: The Texas Scorecard: Medina county, GOP, censures house, impeachment manager, Andrew Murr
Republican State Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction)has been censured by another county in the house district he represents for "opposing the core principles of the Republican Party." Murr represents House District 53, northwest of San Antonio. He chairs the House General Investigating Committee, which brought impeachment charges against Texas Attorney General Paxton, who was acquitted by the Texas Senate this past weekend. The Medina County GOP (in Murr's district) has censured the representative for his role in the rushed impeachment process, as well as for his vote for House Speaker Dade Phelan who appointed Democrats to key committee chairmanships in the Texas House. They also highlighted his votes against school choice legislation. Murr also voted against SJRes 35 which would have amended the Texas constitution mandating voters in Texas by U.S. citizens. Other GOP executive committees within Murr's district have also censured him. September 18: WJBK Detroit: Trump trumps President, scheduling meeting with striking United Auto Workers first Former President Donald Trump will be coming to Detroit to speak to striking United Auto Workers on Sept. 27 according to a person familiar with his plans said Monday to the Associated Press. The visit to Detroit - which has not been officially confirmed by Trump or the UAW - means he will skip the upcoming second Republican Primary Debate to be held that same night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. If Trump does so, it puts him out front of President Biden in personally reaching out to the union and its workers. In recent days, Trump has been leaning hard into the strike, painting himself as sympathetic to the workers and accusing Biden of trying to destroy the car industry by expanding electric cars and other green energy policies. September 18: The Washington Examiner: US federal judge hears arguments for removing the Georgia case to federal court A federal judge during a Monday hearing was skeptical about former Trump administration Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark's bid to move his Georgia election subversion case to federal court. Clark argues he was operating in his official capacity at the DOJ's environmental division and in an acting capacity at the civil division when he sent a letter to Georgia officials raising concerns of mass election fraud. Prosecutors claim Clark knew the letter he sent included a false statement, also saying that Clark's superiors at the DOJ told him it was a lie and that he lacked authority to make fraud allegations. Harry MacDougland, an attorney for Clark, countered that the DOJ had already been looking into fraud claims before Clark's involvement in the matter. "The Rubicon had already been crossed," MacDougald said, according to the Associated Press. Unlike his co-defendant Mark Meadows, Clark avoided taking questions from prosecutors and was not even present for the Monday hearing. Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, took the stand last month before Jones in an effort to have his case removed to federal court. He testified during an all-day hearing on Aug. 28, but Jones denied his request on Sept. 8, prompting Meadows to appeal. September 18: The Epoch Times: Former speaker Pelosi responsible for January 6 after turning down request for security Former President Donald Trump is accusing Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) of being primarily responsible for the Capitol breach on Jan. 6 as she turned down his offer of deploying 10,000 soldiers prior to the incident. "I offered 10,000 people to the mayor of Washington D.C. and Nancy Pelosi … and they turned it down flat," President Trump said in a Sept. 17 interview. "Nancy Pelosi, who was then the House speaker, "was in charge of security. She turned down 10,000 soldiers. If she didn't turn down the soldiers, you wouldn't have had January 6th." September 17: The Washington Examiner: Speaker McCarthy; Hunter Biden will be subpoenaed House Republicans leading the charge over the investigation into Joe Biden, and his son, will subpoena Hunter Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, noting the timing would be in accordance with the facts. "Hunter Biden will get subpoenaed, but when is the appropriate time? Do you do it because television wants it?" McCarthy said during an interview on Fox News. He noted it wasn't his role to be filing any subpoena at the younger Biden or anyone in the investigation, noting he lets 'committees do their work." The House Speaker announced last week the opening of an impeachment inquiry into the president. Republicans who lead three key House committees are joining forces to investigate the matter, which includes the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the House Judiciary Committee. McCarthy made the decision in order to look into allegations related to business dealings by the younger Biden and whether his dad had any involvement in the foreign business dealings. The formal investigation was initiated without a vote on the House floor. The move was seen as an effort to galvanize vocal Republicans who have been calling for a more formal investigation into Joe Biden as part of their negotiations to help McCarthy secure the speakership.  September 17: Fox News: US Senate will no longer enforce its dress codes on the Senate Floor
The U.S. Senate will no longer enforce a dress code for members of the upper house elected by those they serve. "However, others entering the chamber must comply with the dress code. Coats/ties for men. Business attire for women," Chad Pergram, the Senior Congressional Correspondent for Fox News tweeted. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) quietly sent the directive to the Senate's Sergeant at Arms, Axios reported. The change allows Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) to continue wearing his trademark "hoodies and gym shorts" while "working" for Americans. Fetterman was previously praised for "turning heads" and "redefining fashion in the stuffy Senate" during his recovery following a six-week stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was treated for "clinical depression" and "fitted for hearing aids for hearing loss that had made it harder for him to communicate." The senator even found a "workaround" to the legislative body's dress code rules. "He votes from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his 'yay' or 'nay' is recorded before ducking back out." September 17: Sky News: Update on Ukraine; More attacks on Russian targets in Crimea and Ukraine takes back another village from Russian forces Explosions and shooting heard across the Crimean city of Sevastopol today are reportedly the result of a joint operation between Ukraine's GRU and the navy. News reports say that on Sunday evening a powerful explosion rang out in the central part of temporarily occupied Sevastopol. It is not clear if such an operation has taken place, or is still underway - as the report is unverified but locals in the Crimean city report hearing multiple explosions and shooting. There have been earlier reports that the Crimean bridge had been closed to traffic, although it is not clear if the events are linked just yet. Meanwhile Russia reports two drones have been downed in Crimea in the last few hours. Meanwhile to the east, Kyiv claims it has retaken Klishchiivka, another village near the symbolic city of Bakhmut, doing so 48 hours after it liberated the village of Andriivka. "Klishchiivka was cleared of the Russians and liberated," Alexander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces has said. Additionally, Ilya Yevlash, the head of the press service of the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told the Suspilne news agency that the village had been taken, with video and images circulating reportedly showing soldiers there celebrating and holding Ukrainian flags. The village is just under 5 miles from the city of Bakhmut - with Andriivka, less than two miles away from the city, having been recaptured by Ukrainian forces. The Russia government is denying any of this has happened. September 17: News Max: Morris; The point of the Gag Order is to put Trump in jail The goal behind the gag order sought on Donald Trump is to put the former president behind bars, said political consultant Dick Morris. "This entire Fulton County charade has one goal and that is to put Trump in jail," Morris said. "And the way they're going to do it is by making these outrageous charges against him, putting a biased left-wing judge in charge whose husband was a member of the Black Panthers and who's a radical, radical left-wing prosecutor. ... Obviously, running a political campaign you can't be under a gag order. "You have to talk about the issues, which Donald Trump does famously and forthrightly. If he does that now, it's going to land him in jail and we will have an image of the president of the United States — a former president and a candidate for president — who will literally be campaigning from inside a jail cell," he added. "And that will graphically illustrate to the American people how low this left-wing government has gotten in the way they are persecuting this man." Special counsel Jack Smith on Friday asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan for a narrow gag order on Trump in the criminal case accusing the former president of attempting to undo the results of the 2020 election, according to a court filing. "The defendant has an established practice of issuing inflammatory public statements targeted at individuals or institutions that present an obstacle or challenge to him," Smith said in a filing in U.S. district court. If the court goes along with establishing a gag order, it is expected Trump's legal team will appeal the decision all the way to the Supreme Court claiming election interference and violation of his first amendment free speech rights. September 16: The Epoch Times: New Mexico voters organize to void gun control laws enacted in the state A grassroots movement is challenging six laws passed in the New Mexico state legislature that its organizers say threaten their communities, infringe upon parental rights, and compromise the election process. "People are starting to realize that this is not the state that they grew up in," Larry Marker, an independent oil and gas producer who is a part of the group that initiated the Referendum Project said. The nonpartisan Referendum Project's mission is supported by Article IV, Section 1 of the state constitution, which gives citizens the right to "reserve the power to disapprove, suspend and annul any law enacted by the legislature, except general appropriation laws; laws providing for the preservation of the public peace, health or safety; for the payment of the public debt or interest thereon, or the creation or funding of the same, except as in this constitution otherwise provided; for the maintenance of the public schools or state institutions and local or special laws." September 16: Sky News: Is Russia planning to attack Ukraine's facilities this winter? Russia knows where to hit Ukraine's energy infrastructure, after all, they built it! Military expert Sean Bell reports that between October last year and March, Russia launched wave after wave of cruise missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The Russians used the air-launched AS 23a Kodiak cruise missile for many of these attacks and since April this year, Russia has reduced dramatically its use of these missiles while ramping up their production. The UK MoD suggests that the Russians are increasing their stockpiles of these cruise missiles in preparation for a resumption of attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure this coming winter. Russia knows where the key energy infrastructure nodes are as they were all built in the Soviet Union era. However, as a result of last year's sustained attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, the locals have become more resilient and developed work-arounds. And the increasingly effective Ukrainian air defense systems will undoubtedly be focused on protecting critical national infrastructure. Despite the hardship, the sustained Russian attacks on the Ukrainian population have yet to undermine morale - indeed, evidence suggests that this has simply served to stiffen Ukrainian resolve. September 16: The Washington Times: Hunter Biden's indictment just might be expanded Hunter Biden 's indictment on gun charges may be just the start of legal troubles that could become an increasing threat to his father's reelection bid. Federal prosecutors indicted the president's son Thursday on three felony charges tied to possessing a firearm while using narcotics. The charges carry a combined maximum prison sentence of 25 years, but the president's son could face even more jail time for tax fraud and foreign lobbying charges linked to the elder Joe Biden 's time as vice president. Prosecutors in a July hearing signaled they could expand their investigation further to determine if the president's son should be prosecuted for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act or FARA. Hunter Biden raked in millions of dollars in foreign business deals, in part, ex-business associates said, by leveraging his father's clout as vice president. Those actions may open him to prosecution for failure to register as a foreign agent — a law that has landed multiple Trump associates in prison.  September 16: Texas Scorecard: Texas Senate acquits AG Paxton of all charges, wants audit of House expenditures The Texas Senate, today, acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of all charges included in the Texas House's impeachment. Meanwhile Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had strong words for the House who brought the charges forward. Patrick, who presided over the proceedings, had been silent on the merits of the case until after the decision. Once it was final, Patrick offered comments that blasted the House's process in an effort to ensure it didn't happen again. "In the past, the target of the investigation was notified and invited to attend with counsel and given the opportunity to cross examine witnesses that were placed under oath before testimony was taken. At the conclusion of past House investigations, the evidence was laid out for weeks for House members to evaluate before they took their vote on articles of impeachment," said Patrick. In contrast, House members were given 48 hours' notice before their vote impeach Paxton in May. "In the next regular session, we must amend the Texas Constitution on the issue of impeachment, because the way the constitution is currently written allowed this flawed process to happen this year.," said Patrick. "Any testimony given in a House impeachment investigation must be given under oath and the target must be allowed to be present with a lawyer to cross examine the witnesses. Otherwise, people can say anything without any accountability or need to be truthful because there is no threat of perjury." House witnesses were notably not put under oath when they talked with investigators earlier this year. "Millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on this impeachment. 31 Senators and a large Senate staff that made this trial possible have put their family life, jobs, and businesses on hold for 3 months after being here already from January to June," Patrick added as he called for a full audit of taxpayer money spent by the House on the investigation. "An impeachment should never happen again in the House like it happened this year," he concluded. Meanwhile there have been calls for Speaker Phelan to resign. State Representative Brian Harrison (R) said, "Instead of securing the border, passing school choice, banning COVID mandates, fixing our grid and energy market, reining in emergency executive powers, cutting spending, ending property taxes, deregulating our economy, or stopping communist governments from buying Texas land, the Speaker of the House prioritized the impeachment of a recently re-elected Attorney General who has proven he is up to the most important task of our time: fighting the out of control federal government, which seeks to destroy our rights, our freedoms, our liberties, our state sovereignty, and the Constitution," said Harrison. "For that reason, in addition to his appointment of liberal Democrats to chair powerful committees and his presiding over the House while clearly unable to execute the duties of his office, I am calling on Speaker Dade Phelan to step down immediately," he said. Speaker Phelan has been censored by several county GOP executive committees including one in his home district in southeastern Texas. September 15: News Max: Turley; Five things to know about impeachment of Joe Biden Law professor and Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley, has said he does not believe that a case for impeachment has yet been made against Joe Biden, maintaining there is "clearly a need for a probe into a growing array of allegations facing [Biden]." Turley suggested there are five things needed to be considered. First, there needs to be evidence that Joe Biden lied to the public for years in denying knowledge of his son's business dealings. "Hunter Biden's ex-business associate, Tony Bobulinski, has said repeatedly that he discussed some dealings directly with Joe Biden." Second, we know that more than $29 million was paid to the Bidens by foreign sources, including figures in China, Ukraine, Russia, and Romania. There is no apparent reason for the multilayers of accounts and companies other than to hide these transfers. Third, specific demands were made on Hunter, including dealing with the threat of a Ukrainian prosecutor to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter was given a lucrative board position. Five days later, Joe Biden forced the Ukrainians to fire the prosecutor. "Fourth, Hunter repeatedly stated in emails that he paid his father as much as half of what he earned. And Fifth, there is evidence of alleged criminal conduct by Hunter that could be linked to covering up these payments, from the failure to pay taxes to the failure to register as a foreign lobbyist. What is not established is the assumption by many that Joe Biden was fully aware of both the business dealings and any efforts to conceal them. Turley said the inquiry "may not result in the impeachment of [Joe] Biden, but it will result in greater clarity. Indeed, it is that very clarity that many in Washington may fear the most from this inquiry."  September 15: iHeart Media/KTRH Houston: UAW goes on strike against the three major US automakers
The United Auto Workers union announced its workers are going on strike against the "Big Three" automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. It is the first time in history that workers for the three automakers went on strike at the same time. Just after midnight on Friday, workers at a GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri, a Stellantis plant in Toledo, Ohio, and a Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan, walked off the job. Workers at other plants will continue to work without a contract. The targeted strike currently involves about 13,000 of the UAW's 145,000 workers, but union officials said more workers will walk off the job the longer the strike lasts. The big sticking point in the negotiations is pay, with workers demanding a 40% increase over four years. Workers are also fighting to regain many of the benefits they lost in the last negotiations when the automakers were struggling financially. "We didn't want to be here. We want a fair agreement. We want fair economic and social justice for our members. That's what this is all about. And it's a shame," Shawn Fain, the union's president said.  September 15: Rasmussen Report: Most Georgia voters think Trump prosecution is unfair The prosecution of former President Donald Trump by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is unfair, according to a majority of Georgia voters, most of whom have concerns about the integrity of elections in their state. A new telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports finds that 56% of Likely Georgia voters believe it is likely Trump is being unfairly prosecuted by DA Willis, including 39% who say it's Very Likely. Thirty-seven percent (37%) don't think it's likely Willis is unfairly prosecuting Trump, including 28% who say an unfair prosecution is Very Unlikely. September 14: The Daily Caller: Hunter Biden indicted on three felony counts Joe Biden's son Hunter, has been indicted on felony gun charges in Delaware, according to a partially redacted court filing by Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel David Weiss. According to the indictment Biden was indicted Thursday on three counts for providing false statements and knowingly possessing the gun while he was addicted to drugs, in connection with the acquisition of a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018. According to the defendant information sheet, he faces a maximum prison sentence of ten years for the first and third offenses, with the second offense holding a maximum of five years. Meanwhile, Hunter and his dad are embroiled in accusations of influence peddling while his dad was Vice President, accusations which are backed up by data on Hunter's laptop, former associates, and numerous whistle blowers. September 14: Fox News: Key GOP lawmakers respond to indictment of Hunter Biden House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Thursday indicting Hunter Biden on federal gun charges is a "very small start," while calling on Special Counsel David Weiss to "investigate everyone involved" in the Biden family's alleged "fraud schemes and influence peddling." Comer's comments come shortly after Biden was indicted on federal gun charges out of Weiss' investigation. Biden was charged with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. If convicted the President's son could face years of jail time, assuming his dad doesn't pardon him. September 14: Texas Scorecard: Prosecution and Defense teams rest after eight days in Paxton Impeachment trial Both the prosecution and defense have rested their case in the Senate's impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, signaling a coming conclusion to the procedure which has lasted for eight days. On Wednesday night, Rusty Hardin—a lawyer for the prosecution—accidentally rested the House case early after interviewing a witness. Thursday's defense presentation was focused on several current employees of the Office of the Attorney General who provided perspective on the impeachment charges levied against Paxton. Austin Kinghorn, the associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel that replaced "whistleblower" Ryan Vassar, refuted claims that the office put together a "sham investigation" after a group of former employees went to the FBI and accused Ken Paxton of illegal activity. Kinghorn, who read the report multiple times, said he saw nothing wrong with it. He said would have reported his concerns if he had. Grant Dorfman, the deputy first assistant attor¬ney general, echoed that same sentiment. Both sides will be given one hour to present closing arguments when the Senate reconvenes at 9 a.m. on Friday. Senators will then be given the opportunity to deliberate before making their decision. The prosecution needs 21 senators, or a two-thirds majority, to remove Paxton from office.  September 14: The Washington Examiner: Justice Alito temporarily pauses order restricting Biden Admin's social media contacts Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito paused an order restricting the Biden administration's communications with social media companies. Alito's temporary hold on a federal judge's July 4 ruling comes after the Justice Department asked the high court to stay the decision, arguing it infringes on the First Amendment rights of government officials and impedes their duties. The government's response is due by September 22nd. The lawsuit, Missouri v. Biden, was filed last year by then-Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, claiming the federal government colluded with social media companies such as Twitter and Meta to suppress the freedom of speech. September 14: The Washington Times: GA judge blocks DA Willis' request to have Donald Trump tried in October Former President Donald Trump and 16 co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case will not go to trial in October, a state judge ruled Thursday in a stunning legal loss for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee ordered that the 17 defendants will not be tried alongside lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell on Oct. 23. Judge McAfee said severing the cases was a "procedural and logistical inevitability," adding that it was possible that "additional divisions" may be required later. The judge's one-page order didn't set a new trial date for Trump or his 16 co-defendants. He did spell out a timeline that would mean they wouldn't head to trial until at least December. Under the Judge's order, pretrial disputes with the 17 severed cases should be resolved by the end of the year. He also ordered discovery to start by Oct. 6. Although Judge McAfee ordered pretrial motions to be filed by Dec. 1, he did not schedule a hearing on those requests, possibly pushing back a trial until January. The Fulton County Democrat DA wanted to require all 19 original defendants to stand trial together claiming separate trials would create a strain on the judicial system. All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.  September 13: One American News Network: Trump held a private meeting with gold star families from the US's botched Afghanistan withdrawal
According to a report former President Donald Trump hosted the Gold Star families of the 13 U.S. service soldiers who died in the suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport in 2021. "Trump was way more than I expected," said Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Sergeant Nicole Gee. "The contrast is stark with [Joe Biden who] we met at Dover." The 45th president "knew so much about the event, the kids, Bagram and who made decisions… He was a normal human and made eye contact, answered every question, even the uncomfortable ones," Shamblin continued. Trump reportedly surprised everyone by spending several additional hours with them after their meeting, during which he signed photographs of their children. Another mother of a slain soldier, Paula Knauss Selph, sobbed as she watched Trump write the same words that she frequently used to tell her son Ryan on a framed photograph of him: "You are My Hero." September 13: The Washington Free Beacon: Pentagon taps disinformation researcher who applauded censorship of Biden laptop story The Biden administration has tapped a researcher who applauded Twitter for censoring stories about Hunter Biden's laptop to "proactively respond" to international disinformation campaigns. The Defense Department in May inked a contract with a tech firm run by Lisa Kaplan, a disinformation researcher who said pre-Musk Twitter's decision to block links to the New York Post's October 2020 story about the troubled first son was a "good move." On Twitter and in the press at the time, Kaplan applauded what she called the social media giant's "efforts … to address disinformation, making it so that people can't share a link known to be false." Kaplan's support for the censorship of a legitimate news story could raise concerns about the reliability of her work for the Pentagon. September 12: News Max: Blackburn (R-TN); A new Axis of Evil of concern to the US Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Tuesday the new "axis of evil" of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia is a top concern for the United States (or at least should be). In the backdrop of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, she warned viewers of those working to overthrow U.S. global hegemony. "We should be paying close attention to this," Blackburn stressed. "And, of course, with Kim Jong Un going to Russia and meeting and looking at where they can partner. Of course, you think about Ukraine. ... You think about the Indo-Pacific and those islands nations – about Taiwan, about South Korea." It has been rumored that North Korea is looking at options for selling Russia much needed ammunition and weaponry in exchange for food for their citizens. September 12: Sky News: What could Kim Jong Un give Russia that it doesn't already have? Vladimir Putin will attempt to get ammunition from his meeting with Kim Jong Un, defense analyst Professor Michael Clarke has said. Offering his analysis of the approaching meeting between the two leaders, Clarke said North Korea will attempt to get grain and food out of the meeting while Russia will look for ammunition. "Around a quarter of North Korea's population is said by the UN to be starving and the other three quarters are at subsistence levels," he said. "So, they certainly need food and oil." Clarke said the Russian army had probably used between 8-11 million artillery rounds so far in the war. "They need ammunition and that's what they will get out of it," he added. "The war of course just goes on absorbing more ammunition." The defense analyst also said the Russian army was moving its troops and amassing men near Kharkiv for a "big counter push" September 11: News Max: Van Jones (CNN); Dems are "Terrified" over Biden running again CNN analyst and Democrat activist Van Jones said Sept. 7 that Democrats are starting "whispers" about the issue of President Joe Biden's age in the upcoming 2024 race. "I think a lot of these Democrats look at these [recent poll] numbers and say the 'whispers' [about Biden's age] are finally showing up in this data," Jones said on CNN. "People are talking behind their hand. They worry about Joe Biden. He is like the grandpa that you love, you believe in, you owe a lot [to], but you start to wonder. Would you give this grandpa a high-stress job for six more years, or would you want something else for him." A September 7th CNN poll found that 74% say that Biden, 80, does not have "the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president," with only 26% saying he is up for another term. The number has increased 7 percentage points since March, when 67% of people believed he does not have those capabilities for the presidency, and from 51% in November 2019, the data showed. The poll shows overall 61% disapproval in the way Biden is performing his duties as president, leaving him with only 39% of voters approving of his performance in the job. September 10: News Max: Group sues after NM Governor suspends right to carry a gun in Albuquerque in public New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's (D) emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque drew an immediate court challenge from a gun-rights group Saturday, as legal scholars and advocates said they expected. The National Association for Gun Rights and Foster Haines, a member who lives in Albuquerque, filed documents in U.S. District Court in New Mexico suing Lujan Grisham and seeking an immediate block to the implementation of her order. The governor, said the 30-day suspension, enacted as an emergency public health measure, would apply in most public places, from city sidewalks to parks. She said state police would be responsible for enforcing what amount to civil violations and carry a fine of up to $5,000. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who once served as a Democratic party leader and was appointed by Lujan Grisham, on Saturday joined Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Harold Medina saying they wouldn't enforce the order. "As an officer of the court, I cannot and will not enforce something that is clearly unconstitutional," said Bregman, the top prosecutor in the Albuquerque area. "This office will continue to focus on criminals of any age that use guns in the commission of a crime." September 10: News Max: Rep. Hill; We shouldn't repeat Pelosi's mistakes if we impeach Joe Biden The House should not "repeat the mistakes" that Democrats made with their impeachment inquiries into former President Donald Trump when considering whether to do the same to Joe Biden, Rep. French Hill said. The Arkansas Republican said, "We don't want to repeat the mistakes we think that [former House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi made by prematurely moving to impeachment during the Trump administration." Hill said he believes that neither House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-KY) nor House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) have "even remotely completed" the probes into the foreign business dealings of the Biden family. "I don't believe they've even remotely completed their work on the kind of detailed investigations and quality work that Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy is expecting both those committees to produce before someone goes to, you know, an impeachment activity," Hill said. However, McCarthy (R-CA) has indicated that the House could hold a vote to start an impeachment inquiry as soon as this month, despite hesitation from some Republican moderates. Comer and other Republicans argue that such a move would give them more tools with which to investigate. This also comes as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) pledges that she won't vote for government funding without an impeachment inquiry as the threat of a government shutdown looms at the end of this month. September 9: Fox News: Alito "schools" Senate Democrats on unfounded demands Justice Samuel Alito on Friday flatly rejected demands from Senate Democrats that he recuse himself from an upcoming Supreme Court case, calling their argument invalid. In an August 3 letter, Democrats led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged Chief Justice John Roberts to "take appropriate steps" to ensure that Alito recuse himself from Moore v. United States. The demand was made because Alito had sat down for a Wall Street Journal interview with opinion journalist David B. Rivkin, a practicing attorney who is a lawyer in the case. "This argument is unsound," Alito wrote in an unusual statement added to a list of Supreme Court orders. "There is no valid reason for my recusal in this case." Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have been highly critical of Alito and the rest of the court for failing to adopt an ethics code, following reports of undisclosed paid trips taken by Justice Clarence Thomas and, on one occasion, by Alito. The committee approved an ethics code for the court on a party-line vote, though it is unlikely to become law. September 9: The Epoch Times: 5th Circuit; Biden Admin likely violated 1st Amendment on social media censorship The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that several Biden administration officials had likely breached the First Amendment by pressuring social media companies to moderate or take down content they deemed problematic. But the three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed much of an injunction issued by a Louisiana judge that restricted Democratic administration from communicating with social media companies. The court said the White House, Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the FBI "likely coerced or significantly encouraged social media platforms to moderate content" in violation of the First Amendment. September 9: The Washington Examiner: House race in RI; Republican looking for upset this November Rhode Island voters have selected former Democratic White House staffer Gabriel Amo and Republican political newcomer Gerry Leonard to compete in the special election to represent them in the US House; one is due to be selected to serve in this November's election. The primary elections, which were held Tuesday, introduced both men to the national stage, where they will seek to win a seat left vacant by former Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) who retired earlier this year. Amo is favored to win the predominantly blue district. Rhode Island, famously a small state, only has two congressional districts. September 9: The Jerusalem Post: Leaders announce multinational rail and port deal linking Middle East and South Asia Global leaders announced a multinational rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi. According to reports, both Israel and Saudi Arabia will be involved in the project, although the exact details regarding their roles have yet to be published. Saudi state media reported on Saturday afternoon that they had signed the memorandum of understanding with the US to develop a protocol that aims to build an intercontinental green corridor. The transit corridor, which would connect Asia and Europe through Saudi Arabia by railway, aims to facilitate the transfer of renewable electricity and clean hydrogen via cables and pipelines, a statement carried by state media said. September 8: The Washington Examiner: Trump files motion to move 14th amendment case to Federal court Former President Donald Trump filed a motion on Friday requesting that his 14th Amendment case in Colorado be moved from state to federal court. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a lawsuit in district court in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday on behalf of Republicans and independent citizens who believe the former president should be disqualified from the 2024 presidential ballot in the state under the 14th Amendment. Legal counsel for Trump said in a notice of removal "There is an urgent public interest in promptly resolving whether Trump is constitutionally eligible to serve as president in advance of the approaching primary election."  September 8: The Epoch Times: US DOC vows to protect national security, amid Huawei chip breakthrough The U.S. Department of Commerce has vowed to protect national security in the wake of China's reported breakthrough in manufacturing a 7-nanometer chip without access to advanced equipment. "Let's be clear: export controls are just one tool in the U.S. government's toolbox to address the national security threats presented by the PRC. The restrictions in place since 2019 have knocked Huawei down and forced it to reinvent itself—at a substantial cost to the PRC government," a Commerce Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The spokesperson added that the department is working on obtaining the "character and composition" of the purported 7-nanometer chip. We are continually working to assess and, when appropriate, update [the Export Administration Regulations] based on the dynamic threat environment, and we will not hesitate to take appropriate action to protect U.S. national security," the spokesperson said. Huawei Technologies Co. recently launched a new smartphone model. Although Huawei has been mum about technical specs, teardowns by research firm Techinsights confirmed that Huawei's Mate 60 Pro uses a 7-nm chip made by state-backed Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), Communist China's largest chip maker. China hailed Huawei's latest move as a "triumphant return" and a defeat of U.S. export controls.  September 8: Breitbart News: Biden to cancel Alaskan oil and gas leases issued under Trump Joe Biden's Department of Interior (DOI) said it would cancel the oil and gas leases issued in the latter days of President Trump's administration. Biden has said he would move to protect roughly 19.6 million acres in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for polar bears and caribou even though some experts contend the oil industry and wildlife can cohabit the same area and not negatively impact wildlife. Trump issued the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) seven leases right before Biden's inauguration. The move is part of a larger strategy by which Biden has moved to cancel oil and gas exploration on public lands. September 8: The Daily Caller: Democrat leaders have growing concerns amid inability to take in more illegal aliens Amid an influx of migrants, Democratic leaders in New York and Chicago are saying they feel ghosted by Joe Biden. Throughout the last few months, several Democrat-run states and cities have become overwhelmed with migrants, often lacking enough shelter and resources to take the individuals in. Despite some action from the Biden administration, leaders feel as if it has not responded to their calls for help. "No communication [from the White House ] whatsoever," Democrat Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez said. "I actually sent a letter to the White House asking for the President to address this matter when he was here a few months ago. My understanding is that even with multiple talks regarding the Democratic National Convention, the topic of migrant asylum seekers has never once come up in conversation with our mayor and the President, or other high-level Democratic Party leaders." September 7: The Galveston County Daily News: Speaker McCarthy needs backbone in order to cut federal spending A cadre of members, led by Chip Roy (R-TX), are threatening to do just that if McCarthy fails to hold the line on reducing spending. If McCarthy faulters it is clear his Speakership will be in jeopardy. This small number of members gave him pass on the debt ceiling debate earlier this year even though they weren't happy about his surrender to the Administration, but it seems they're not likely do to so with the appropriations bills. If McCarthy wants to keep his position, he will need to get some backbone and start cutting back on our out-of-control spending. September 7: The Washington Examiner: Appeals court allows Texas to keep its floating barriers in the Rio Grande Thursday's order could prevent the Lone Star State from immediately having to begin moving the buoys to the river bank. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced on Wednesday his intent to appeal the decision, stating a he would take the legal battle to the Supreme Court if needed. The buoys are one of several strategies that Abbott has used to prevent immigrants from arriving along the southern border, including placing coils of razor wire along the river. One of the unconfirmed allegations stated that Texas authorities were ordering troopers to push migrant children back into the river and deny water to migrants in extreme heat. September 7: One America News Network: Wisconsin GOP threatens to impeach liberal Supreme Court Justice On Thursday, liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz joined others on the bench for her first hearing in Madison. Her first official appearance as the state's newest justice comes as Republicans threaten impeachment. The move serves as the state GOP's last effort to stop the court's new 4-to-3 liberal majority, which is expected to toss out Republican-drawn congressional maps and overturn the state's 1849 abortion ban. Republicans want Justice Protasiewicz to recuse herself from redistricting cases because during her campaign she said that the state's current maps are "unfair" and "rigged," and they further argue she's already prejudged the case. On Wednesday, Wisconsin Democrats launched a campaign against Protasiewicz's impeachment and said the move is a threat to democracy. Republicans also pointed out Protasiewicz received nearly $10 million from the Wisconsin Democrat Party.  September 7: Fox News: Chicago's Ohare airport used as a migrant shelter as the crisis worsens and overwhelms the city
Chicago leaders are facing backlash over hundreds of migrants being housed at O'Hare International Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports. Chicago reporter William Kelly discussed what the city has been experiencing as a result of the influx of migrants. More than 400 migrants are reportedly being housed in a section of the airport, hidden from public view behind black curtains, up from 31 at the beginning of August. Kelly said the airport is one of only 18 migrant shelters in Chicago and that homeless Americans are no longer allowed to stay at the airport. The city previously struggled with an influx of homeless people at the airport but initiated a crackdown earlier this year after then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced criticism "Mayor Johnson campaigned as the people's mayor. Sadly, the people are telling me that he's the migrants' mayor," said Kelly. Kelly said he does not think the same security and background checks that Americans go through at airports apply to migrants. Meanwhile, the city continues to struggle with crime and to recover from the coronavirus lockdowns. September 6: The Washington Times: More emails show Biden's involvement with Hunter's Ukraine energy post at time of corruption probe Vice President Joe Biden took a call in 2015 from Ukrainian energy firm executives seeking help in thwarting a corruption investigation on the same day he signed off on talking points written by his son's business partner that aimed to tamp down media interest in Hunter Biden's lucrative job on the company's board. The Dec. 4, 2015, email from Hunter Biden's business associate Eric Schwerin was sent to the vice president's assistant, Kate Bedingfield, and provided "quotes" for Biden to use in response to media inquiries about his son's job on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. Bedingfield replied to Schwerin later that day that "VP signed off on this." The vice president's assistant provided quotes four days later to The New York Times in response to a story that called into question Biden's "credibility" fighting corruption in Ukraine while his son served on Burisma's board. Bedingfield and Schwerin exchanged the emails on the same day that Hunter Biden called his father from Dubai. According to former business partner Devon Archer, Hunter Biden put his father on the phone with Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky, who was seeking help from Washington to shake off a state corruption investigation.  September 6: The Daily Caller: Idalia blew into town and now exotic flamingos are all over the US! ALERT! The United States is being invaded… by flamingos! Florida and the Caribbean — these are the places you envision when you think about flamingos. You're not thinking about some town in Ohio that you've never heard of. But the residents of Waynesville can now say they've had flamingos in the area. And not the ones at the zoo — we're talking about wild exotic flamingos. Jerry Lorenz, who is Audobon Florida's state director of research, says that ever since Hurricane Idalia came through, they've been loaded with reports of flamingo sightings from around Florida, Georgia, Virginia, the Carolinas, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee and, of course, Ohio. And the sightings are still rolling in. September 6: Fox News: Hunter Biden expected to be indicted in the near future Hunter Biden is expected to be indicted on a federal gun charge by the end of September, Special Counsel David Weiss' team told U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika on Wednesday. Noreika had set Wednesday as a deadline to hear from both sides about how to move forward on the diversion agreement that would have allowed Biden to avoid jail time for a felony charge of lying on a federal form when purchasing a firearm in 2018. The expected charges come after an original plea agreement collapsed in July. Hunter was expected to plead guilty in July to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of a plea deal to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge. September 6: The Washington Examinee: Weiss may testify despite DOJ roadblocks With three weeks until the date U.S. Attorney David Weiss, now a special counsel, might have testified to Congress, the question of whether he'll appear at all remains open. But the Justice Department has already blocked other witnesses from complying with congressional subpoenas in House Republican investigations into the Biden family's business dealings, likely signaling roadblocks ahead for the House inquiry. However, if the House opens an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden, then Weiss may be compelled to appear even over DOJ objections. Negotiations between the House Judiciary Committee and the Justice Department over how and when Weiss will appear before Congress, if at all, are still underway. The Justice Department has not yet pulled the plug on a planned appearance by Weiss this fall. Whether that appearance would involve Weiss delivering testimony at a public hearing or sitting for a transcribed interview behind closed doors is so far unclear. Congressional investigators typically prefer to speak with such witnesses in closed-door settings, where staff experts lead the questioning and the interviews tend to yield more useful information. September 5: Fox News: Hunter partied with elites on your tax dollars Hunter Biden attended at least six U.S. state dinners during the Obama and Biden administrations, including four when he was chairman of his now-defunct investment firm and two while being federally investigated over his business dealings with the firm. Meanwhile Joe Biden has shown no signs of trying to distance himself from his embattled son, appearing alongside him in recent months during multiple public events despite Hunter's legal troubles, including taking him on an official state trip to Ireland in April. On June 22, just two days after it was announced Hunter and federal prosecutors had struck a plea deal, which has since fallen apart, the first son was seen hobnobbing among Washington's elite during a state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Modi at the White House. September 5: News Max: Use of 14th amendment to try and ban Trump from running is a "trick" Trump is saying states that are trying to use the 14th Amendment to disqualify him from the 2024 ballot of staging a "trick" to give victory to Joe Biden in 2024. "Almost all legal scholars have voiced opinions that the 14th Amendment has no legal basis or standing relative to the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election," Trump said Monday night. "Like Election Interference, it is just another 'trick' being used by the radical left communists…" because their candidate is incapable of winning in a Free and Fair Election," he added. September 4: The Washington Times: Senate to take a first crack at attempting to avoid a government shutdown Battles over government spending levels, the impeachment of Joe Biden, aid to Ukraine and border security will be at the forefront for Congress as the Senate returns to work on Tuesday and the House next week, with lawmakers aiming for a short-term funding measure to avoid a partial government shutdown. There are less than four weeks before the Sept. 30 deadline for lawmakers to agree on a stopgap spending measure, while work proceeds more slowly on funding the government for the next fiscal year. Neither the House nor the Senate want a government shutdown but sadly it appears the House will not be able to move all twelve appropriation bills in time to avoid a short-term extension. [Our sources in Washington tell us the House will be looking at a short-term extension at the current level of spending through December.] The Democrat-controlled Senate is expected to balk at House initiatives to return to 2022 spending levels while some conservative House members want to cut spending beyond that level. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are pointing the finger at Republicans claiming they will be responsible for any shutdown.  September 4: The Daily Caller: Two Top Dems support removing Trump from the 2024 ballot based upon dubious grounds Two top Democrats backed on Sunday the theory that former President Donald Trump could be disqualified from running under the 14th Amendment, Axios reported. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) backed the idea that Trump could be blocked from the 2024 ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which maintains that anyone who "engaged in insurrection" cannot hold elected office. But as Fox News reported the argument for the Disqualifications Clause does not hold water, according to multiple legal experts. Senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky at the Heritage Foundation noted "In 1872, they [the Congress] passed . . . the Amnesty Act, and it removed the Section three disqualification, with certain exceptions, including anybody who had served in two of the Congresses just before the Civil War, and members of the military, for example, who had been in the Union Army and had served the Confederacy." Then, "In 1898, Congress passed a second amnesty act that completely got rid of all of those exceptions. So, the Disqualification Clause, it's gone. It's not valid anymore," Spakovsky concluded. The Free Speech For People, a left-wing Democrat-aligned group, sent letters to secretaries of state in key 2024 states last week claiming Trump should be removed from the ballot. Meanwhile, Shiff, who has been shown to often be less than truthful, said on MSNBC that the disqualification provision "fits Donald Trump to a T." September 4: Breitbart News: Vast majority of Americans say "Bidenomics" just isn't working and the economy is getting worse A Wall Street Journal poll shows a super-majority of voters have negative views of the U.S. economy and disapprove of Joe Biden's handling of the issue. The Journal describes this as a "stark warning to the 80-year-old incumbent ahead of the 2024" election. According to the poll, sixty-three percent of American registered voters say the economy's strength is "not so good" or "poor." Just 32% say the economy is "good" and only five percent say the economy is "excellent." Biden has been attempting to win over Americans to a more favorable view of his performance on the economy, claiming that positive developments are the result of what he calls "Bidenomics." There has been some improvement in the public's view of the economy this year. In December, 67% had negative views of the economy and in October this was as high as 72%. A year ago, the public's view of the economy was close to what it is currently. September 3: The Washington Examiner: Schiff, who often cannot tell truth from falsehood, says there may well be a government shutdown, he may have gotten this one right Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) predicted the United States federal government will shut down next month due to GOP hardliners. House Speaker Kevin McCarthyt (R-CA), who had to compromise with conservative GOP members to ensure he received the speaker's gavel, [See column: "No Red Wave"] is facing a similar situation where the House Freedom Caucus can exert their power in numbers, though the California Republican has urged his colleagues to back a short-term spending deal to avoid an Oct. 1 shutdown. Schiff, with whom McCarthy has frequently butted heads, told former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday, "I fear that we are on a path to government shutdown because there are enough members of the Republican conference who want it and Kevin McCarthy will do whatever it takes to remain speaker one more day or one more week. That's his sole motivation." Actually, it's not that the conservative members of the GOP conference want a shutdown, what they want to do is to cut increasing federal spending. [See a related column on funding the federal government]. The Senate and the House will reconvene early this month with a tight timeline to resolve major differences over funding the government before the shutdown could begin. They will have to work together to pass a short-term spending bill that postpones the fight until potentially early December. September 3: The Washington Times: Ukraine says Russia is trying to provoke a worldwide food crisis Ukrainian officials on Sunday accused Moscow of trying to "provoke a food crisis" after the Russian military launched drone strikes against a key port in the Odesa region. The attacks on Ukraine's Reni seaport saw Russia reportedly launch at least 25 Iranian-made loitering drones at the facility along Ukraine's Black Sea coast. Ukrainian officials said 22 of those drones were shot down. Two people were injured in the attack, which lasted more than three hours, officials said. September 3: Sky News: Ukraine moves to replace its Defense Minister Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said tonight he would ask parliament this week to dismiss Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's main privatization fund. The announcement, made in his nightly video address to the nation, sets the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine's defense establishment during the war. Reznikov, who was appointed defense minister in November 2021, played a pivotal role in securing substantial Western military aid to support the war effort. But he has faced persistent allegations of corruption within his ministry, which he has characterized as baseless smears. "I've decided to replace the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war," Zelenskyy said. "I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole." The approval of the new defense minister must go through parliamentary channels, and it is anticipated that a majority of Verkhovna Rada lawmakers will endorse this change. President Zelenskyy expressed his confidence that parliament will give the green light to Mr Umerov's appointment. Mr Umerov, a 41-year-old former legislator of Crimean Tatar descent, has been at the helm of Ukraine's State Property Fund since September 2022 and has been actively involved in delicate wartime negotiations, including those related to the Black Sea grain deal. September 3: The Post Newspaper: America's Diminishing "Reserve Currency" Status America, particularly in the last two years, chose paths that will diminish the role as the world's reserve currency. With this comes significantly less power to influence the world toward true economic freedom. Our worth is likely to diminish with it, yet it may also force us toward a more responsible fiscal policy, self-sufficiency, and less reliance on the rest of the world. But if it doesn't, it will come with a price including less wealth. Past decisions have consequences. As we approach a major presidential election next year, may this nation chart a better direction than it has been following for the last couple of years. September 2: The Washington Examiner: DNC to invest millions in an attempt to stop flip of the Virginia state legislature Joe Biden has directed the Democrat National Committee to invest over $1 million in Virginia ahead of the state's legislative races, where the majority of both chambers is up for grabs. According to the Washington Post, Biden asked the DNC this week to pour the money into the race to combat Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R-VA) historic investment in the races. The DNC will invest an additional $1.2 million into the race, bringing the total investment up to $1.5 million. The election is on Nov. 7 and will determine whether Virginia will be able to enact conservative priorities. They currently have a slim majority in the House, and Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate. Youngkin has devoted a significant amount of money and time this year trying to expand that majority in the House and attempting to win the Senate.  September 2: The Daily Caller: South Korea, Japan and the US are ratcheting up tug-of-war over influence in WestPac Competition between the U.S. and China is taking shape across a swath of islands that have an outsized strategic importance for America, experts say. A recent pact expanding the U.S. Coast Guard's ability to ward off disruptive Chinese activities around Palau, an archipelago of atolls and islands in the western Pacific Ocean and former U.S. territory, is the latest in a series of agreements aimed at giving the U.S. open access to the Pacific. As China expands its own malign brand of policing power and dangles white elephant economic projects before developing Pacific partners, the impetus for America to woo Palau and countries like it is greater than it has been in recent memory, experts say. "You cannot maintain our policy in Taiwan and our policy in Korea without being able to have free and open access to the Pacific running through these islands," Alexander Gray, who held the first National Security Council position ever focused primarily on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, now a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, said. September 2: Fox News: Biden "busy schedule" precluded him from visiting Palestine, OH but not from taking multiple vacations Joe Biden cited his hectic schedule when he was asked Saturday why he had not yet visited East Palestine, OH, months after the town was devastated by a train derailment that polluted the environment and contaminated water. Bide's press conference in Live Oak, Florida, came in the wake of Hurricane Idalia, which caused up to $20 billion worth of damage in the Southeastern U.S. Biden was speaking about the federal government's efforts to provide assistance to impacted Floridians, when he was asked about the small Ohio town. "Well, I haven't had the occasion to go to East Palestine," Biden began. "There's a lot going on here, and I just haven't been able to break." "I was thinking whether I'd go to East Palestine this week, but I was reminded I've got to go literally around the world," Biden continued. "I'm going from Washington to India to Vietnam." September 2: The Washington Examiner: Eastman; Evidence in the Georgia indictment is weak, defendants will be vindicated John Eastman, one of the defendants in the wide-ranging Georgia RICO case, criticized the case Friday. He claimed the evidence was "weak" and predicted all defendants would be vindicated at their trials. Eastman, who previously served as an attorney for former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Prosecutors allege Eastman was a central figure in the scheme, which included setting up a fraudulent slate of electoral votes for the state. Not mentioned is the efforts by Stacy Abrams (D) who attempted to do something similar in her campaign for Governor but who was never charged. The attorney accused the case of being weak in evidence and high in politics, stating the legal aspect was just "5%" of the fight, while politics was the rest. Eastman also claimed a broad racketeering case against a former president was setting a "very dangerous" precedent. "Our federal criminal code and our state criminal code have gotten so expansive and so vague that any one of us can be charged by a creative prosecutor with three felonies a day," Eastman said. He defended his actions in Georgia, claiming he had a right to legally question the results of the 2020 presidential election. Eastman added that he would do it again if he could.  September 2: The Epoch Times: Tempers flare as Florida LGBT loses ground From books to bathrooms, laws and rules being passed by Florida legislators and members of the State Board of Education are tightening restrictions on the LGBT community. Despite efforts, members of the LGBT community in Florida find themselves losing debates, losing ground, and, more noticeably, losing their tempers. Evidence of the growing frustration was on full display at the Aug. 23, 2023 meeting of the Florida State Board of Education (SBE) in Naples, as members passed measures to further restrict transgender ideology in the state's education system. Proposed rules included expanding restrictions on the use of restrooms that do not correspond with a person's biological sex to include colleges and private schools. Disciplinary actions for educators who violate an established law regarding sexual misconduct were also sharpened. At one point, the level of civility had sunk so low that SBE Chair Ben Gibson advised the opponents that the Board was "trying to be very respectful and civil" to them and asked that they "maintain respect and civility as well."  September 2: Breitbart News: Another strain of COVID another call for masking up New York health officials are advising people to wear masks when in crowded public areas, as coronavirus cases are expected to rise following the Labor Day weekend. While no official social distancing or mask restrictions were set in place, New York City health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told the Daily Mail that people should follow precautions when celebrating the end of summer, as the city's hospitalization rate for the coronavirus rose by 5% this week compared to the previous week; 502 patients infected with the virus were admitted to hospitals. These warnings come as two new variants of the coronavirus were detected: EG.5, called Eris, and BA.2.86, dubbed Pirola, which was found in New York City's wastewater. Pirola causes concern, as it has more than 30 mutations, deeming it better at dodging vaccines and those with immunity. It is unknown if this strand causes a rise in mortality rate. In addition to New York, the Pirola strand has been detected in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. September 1: The Epoch Times: Tucker Carlson reveals what he vows he'll never go again Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson appeared to publicly speak about his departure from Fox News for the first time, saying that he's still not sure why the company parted ways with him. During an interview, Carlson criticized his former network for the rule against President Trump appearing on the channel, alleging that its owner, Rupert Murdoch, doesn't favor the former commander-in-chief. Because the former president and current GOP frontrunner wasn't being featured on the network, Fox News essentially was "not really covering the news anymore," he said. "The Murdochs never got in my way. They were always good to me," Carlson said in the Aug. 30 interview. However, he added there were apparently "small-minded" individuals running the channel. Carlson noted that if he learned one thing it is that he will "never work for anyone else again and I never will." September 1: The Daily Caller: SCOTUS asked to review state court decision to remove jurors with "conservative Christian" beliefs Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the Supreme Court Thursday to review a state court's decision to remove Christian jurors from an employment discrimination lawsuit where the plaintiff identified as lesbian. While the court found the jurors would be impartial, rejecting the argument of the plaintiff's attorney that they would treat gay individuals as "less than everybody else," it still removed the jurors "to err on the side of caution," according to the petition. Now, Bailey is asking the Supreme Court to consider whether the Fourteenth Amendment prevents courts from removing jurors based on their religion. "Jurors can be excluded, of course, if their religious views in fact make them biased – just like jurors can be excluded if their race or sex in fact makes them biased," the petition notes. "But this Court's precedents make clear that courts cannot assume, based on stereotypes about race or sex, that a person will be biased. The same should be true of religion." September 1: The Washington Examiner: Over 60% of active shooters stopped by the good guys with a gun A large percentage of "active shooter" incidents are thwarted by armed citizens who sometimes don't even fire their weapons, but those cases are no longer counted under Joe Biden's pro-gun control policies. According to just-released data from the Crime Prevention Research Center, 41% of active shooting incidents were stopped by armed civilians. Outside of so-called gun-free zones, which bar the legal carrying of firearms, over 63% of active shooting cases were ended by an armed civilian, according to the center. The new data from a former Justice Department senior adviser is the latest to challenge undercounting and bias in government reports on shootings and back up efforts by Second Amendment and police groups to encourage people to carry firearms. The information is especially critical since the Biden administration stopped counting defensive actions by civilians. September 1: Fox News: Former Democrat Congressman blisters Biden Administration as the worst in history The Biden administration is reportedly proposing a list of locations for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to relocate migrants, including New Jersey's Atlantic City International Airport. Rep. Jeff Van (R-NJ) who represents the district, said Friday, saying he will fight the plan "with every ounce of strength." Van Drew criticized the Biden administration's border policies for spilling out further than the border states, calling it a "national defense issue." Bloomberg News reported this week that the Biden administration pitched a list of 11 federally-owned sites for migrants to move from New York City. It also included a tax office in Long Island and other airports in the New York area, including one near the Canadian border. Meantime, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has activated 250 members of the National Guard to provide basic services at emergency shelter hotels amid an influx of migrants that has service providers stretched thin. August 30: The Daily Caller: DOJ reportedly approached IRS whistleblower before he testified before Congress A top Department of Justice (DOJ) official reportedly approached IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley in April about potentially investigating his allegations that DOJ prosecutors gave Hunter Biden special treatment. According to the Daily Mail, Shapley was contacted by Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer, who said he wanted to look into Shapley's assertions that the DOJ slow-walked and obstructed the Hunter Biden investigation. "In just two short weeks, Weinsheimer went from expressing an interest in the claims of wrongdoing by the IRS whistleblower to dismissing the claims of retaliation when the IRS agents were pulled off the case," Mark Lytle, a partner at the law firm representing Shapley said. Reportedly Weinsheimer, an aide to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, emailed Lytle on April 24 asking to set up a phone call after Shapley came forward anonymously with allegations of misconduct in the Hunter Biden case.  August 30: Sky News: 100-year-old tree falls on Florida Governor's mansion moments after DeSantis warns residents of dangers of hurricane A 100-year-old oak tree has fallen on the governor of Florida's mansion as he warned people to stay safe during hurricane Idalia. Ron DeSantis' wife Casey has said family members were home at the time but nobody was injured. "Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the storm", she said. Governor DeSantis had moments earlier given a news conference where he said there had been no deaths as a result of the storm but warned people to stay safe. He also said 250,000 homes are without power. Idalia made landfall in Florida as a dangerous Category 3 storm and later crossed into Georgia still as a hurricane. It was later downgraded to a Category 2 storm as its center moved towards southern Georgia. August 30: The Washington Times: Trump's foes want to boot him from the ballot over January 6th protests Liberal groups and other Trump opponents are working to convince state election officials across the nation that former President Donald Trump's name should be blocked from the 2024 general election ballot for president if he wins the GOP nomination. His staunchest opponents say some of the criminal charges against him in four separate prosecutions should disqualify him from appearing on the ballot. The effort is moving ahead while the pre-trial proceedings in the cases threaten to sideline Trump from the campaign trail as he defends himself in court. The move to exclude him also has prompted threats that Republicans could retaliate by seeking Joe Biden's removal from the ballot over allegations of corruption related to his son Hunter Biden's foreign business deals. "If even one radical Secretary of State or county official attempts to remove Trump from the ballot, the right must be equally prepared to remove Joe Biden from the ballot for selling out America and accepting bribes from foreign oligarchs," conservative radio host Charlie Kirk said. Some states are already considering whether to keep Trump from appearing on the November 2024 ballot. August 30: The Washington Examiner: GOP Georgia legislature poised to investigate Fulton County DA State Republicans are targeting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after she indicted former President Trump and his allies this month for questioning the vote count and allegedly working to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Georgia state Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch said the legislature is poised to hold hearings to determine if Willis is using "her position in a political manner" and whether her office is being "weaponized against Republican candidates running for office" following a two-year-long investigation into the former president and other Republican defendants. "We believe she is definitely tainted," Gooch said. "She's politicizing this, and we want to make sure these people get a fair trial and a fair shake." Gooch said in an interview that Georgia Republicans are creating an oversight commission to investigate district attorneys and solicitors-general. Senate Bill 92 went into effect in July, granting lawmakers the ability to remove or punish elected prosecutors for misconduct or other acts. The commission is expected to be launched by October. The new state statute has been contested by some Georgia district attorneys, who have filed a lawsuit calling the law unconstitutional. August 29: UPI: Ohio Congressman to AG Garland; what happened to the misappropriated COVID funds A Republican congressman on Tuesday sent a letter to Attorney General Garland demanding answers about the alleged misappropriation of billions of dollars of COVID-19 relief funding. On Wednesday, the Justice Department said 371 people are being charged for misappropriating over $836 million in pandemic-related funds. "The Justice Department has now seized over $1.4 billion in COVID-19 relief funds that criminals had stolen and charged over 3,000 defendants with crimes in federal districts across the country," Garland said last week. Now Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus chairperson Rep. Brad Wenstrup wants to know the details of who is being charged and the particulars as to why.  August 29: Fox News: CA school district settles with mother after they "transitioned" her daughter without consent
In what's been called a landmark victory for parental rights, a California school district has settled for $100,000 with a mother who said her daughter was "socially transitioned" to a boy without parental knowledge or consent. Jessica Konen said her 11-year-old daughter, Alicia, was told by her school in the Spreckels Union School District in Monterey County that she may be upset because she didn't know who she "truly was inside." From there, the school allowed her to use the boy's bathroom, used male pronouns to refer to her and was "socially transitioned" away from her biological gender. Once Konen found out that her daughter was being identified as a male and socially transitioning without her knowledge, she sued the district. Her daughter has since decided to re-identify as a girl, and the California single mother vowed to keep fighting for parental rights after the settlement in which she was represented by the Center for American Liberty. "They need to understand their place, and they need to stay in their place. And schools nowadays, they're awful. So, I'm going to fight this fight and keep fighting this fight," Konen said.  August 29: News Max: National Archives has 5,400 Biden emails with pseudonyms The New York Post is reporting the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) acknowledged it has about 5,400 emails that potentially show Joe Biden hid behind phony names while vice president. The existence of the records was confirmed by the NARA and came in response to a June 2022 Freedom of Information Act request by the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF). Specifically, the SLF, a nonprofit constitutional legal group, requested emails relating to the accounts of Robin Ware, Robert L. Peters, and JRB Ware — pseudonyms Joe Biden was known to use in the White House during his time as vice president under Barack Obama. The legal foundation sued the NARA for the release of the records on Monday. The group claims the records could show Joe Biden may have provided government information to his son, Hunter Biden. Kimberly Hermann, SLF general counsel, said in a statement: "All too often, public officials abuse their power by using it for their personal or political benefit. When they do, many seek to hide it. The only way to preserve governmental integrity is for NARA to release Joe Biden's nearly 5,400 emails to SLF and thus the public. The American public deserves to know what is in them." August 29: The Daily Signal: Missouri Attorney General breaks down state's battle against "child mutilation" Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey spent the last week battling for the state's law protecting children from irreversible transgender interventions, both surgical and hormonal. "We're winning this fight and it's important to keep fighting and pushing forward not to give up one inch of space in order to protect kids," he stressed. Bailey broke down why LGBTQ groups are fighting the Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which went into effect Monday. "Under this act, no health care provider shall perform gender transition surgeries on any minor," the legislative summary states. "Until August 28, 2027, no health care provider shall prescribe or administer cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to a minor for a gender transition, unless such minor was receiving such treatment prior to August 28, 2023." "A violation of these provisions shall be considered unprofessional conduct and shall result in the revocation of the health care provider's professional license. Additionally, the prescription or administration of cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to a minor for a gender transition shall be grounds for a cause of action against the health care provider." LGBTQ groups have challenged the law — organizations that Bailey describes as "radical left-wing activists that are more interested in social ideology and the protection of children."  August 28: The Washington Examiner: Montana leads 19 states in court to strike Maryland gun "buffer zones"
Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R-MT) filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit over a Maryland county law he says is defying the SCOTUS's landmark Second Amendment test by establishing "unconstitutional" gun-free buffer zones. Knudsen led a group of 19 attorneys general in filing the brief Monday at the Virginia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, asking the court to side with plaintiffs who say it is "practically impossible" to carry a gun for personal defense in Montgomery County Maryland due to a restrictive gun control law passed in late November. When asked why Montana sought to intervene over a Maryland county law, Knudsen said the Second Amendment is one of his "personal passion issues." "I'm a hunter. I'm a reloader. I'm a competitive shooter. I'm a bit of a gun nut — so I keep a pretty close eye on these things," Knudsen said. "And I firmly believe that as some of these states go, if left unchallenged, we'll see this kind of nonsense regulation and, frankly, unconstitutional laws being attempted in other places, not just in Maryland." Montana's assistant solicitor general contends Section 57 of Montgomery County Code "prohibits the sale, transfer, or possession of firearms '[i]n or within 100 yards of a place of public assembly.'" Section 57 defines a "place of public assembly" as a list of locations, including a public or private "'park,' 'place of worship,' 'school,' 'library,' 'recreational facility,' 'multipurpose exhibition facility,' or 'childcare facility,'" the brief reads, noting that each "'place of public assembly' includes all property associated with the place, such as a parking lot or grounds of a building." The 19 states back the group "Maryland Shall Issue" and several "wear and carry permit" holder plaintiffs who say the law that altered the county's code effectively bars anyone besides designated security guards and active police officers from carrying a gun in public for self-defense. It's "practically impossible for a permit holder to legally carry a handgun for self-defense within the county," he contends. August 28: The New York Post: Silicon Valley "titans" behind $1 billion land purchase near Travis AFB The mystery buyers of nearly $1 billion of undeveloped land abutting Travis Airforce Base in central California were revealed to be Silicon Valley heavyweights — and not a network of Chinese spies as some lawmakers feared. The purchase by Flannery Associates — which has become the largest landowner in Solano County, about 60 miles northeast of San Francisco — had prompted concern that a foreign entity could be using the investment to harm US national security. However, it turns out Flannery's backers are a who's who list of tech titans and investors that includes LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Emerson Collective philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs. The deep-pocketed investors reportedly plan to turn the land into their vision of an ideal city, featuring sustainable energy and a pedestrian-friendly layout.  August 28: News Max: Disney stock hits a nine year low as anti-woke boycott continues
The slogan "go woke, go broke" applies to the Walt Disney Co. after a turbulent 17 months has resulted in its stock price hitting a nine-year low. Disney, which became a symbol for wokeism after protesting Florida's parental rights law in March 2022, hit a stock price low of $83.53 on Monday. The company's market cap has fallen from $350.09 billion on March 22, 2022, to $154.04 billion. That's a decline of $196.05 billion — or a 56% drop in market cap. August 28: The Daily Caller: Several ways Trump could win the GA case against him CNN's senior legal analyst Elie Honig on Monday laid out three possible strategic wins for former President Donald Trump if the Georgia case is moved from state to federal court. "If you're the defendant, first of all, I think you're gonna like the jury pool more," Honig began. "If it stays state, the entire jury pool will be drawn from Fulton County, which voted 26% only for Donald Trump in 2020. If you get it moved federal, you're gonna be drawing from the northern district of Georgia, the federal district, which includes Cobb County, which went 42% for Trump — not great, but better than 26 — Cherokee County went 68% for Trump, so you're gonna have a more pro-Trump jury in the federal court." "Also, in the federal courts, no matter where this case is tried, it's going to go up to the midlevel court of appeals, whether in state or federal court. But if you get into the federal court, you have the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, famously conservative, really seen as the second-most conservative of the 13 appellate courts in the United States — they've ruled against Trump, but if you are Trump you want that 11th circuit," Honig continued. "And finally, most importantly, if you get into federal court your next move, if Mark Meadows gets there, you ask for dismissal on the basis of immunity — if you can show you were within the scope of your job and that you were not doing anything more than necessary and proper, then you can get the case dismissed, and that's the whole ball of wax," he concluded. August 28: iHeartMedia/KTRH: Houston one of the cities planning on banning beef, milk, and cars in the city by 2030 The left's climate change agenda includes some radical proposals in 14 U.S. cities - including Houston. And you won't believe what their target is. "Banning meat and dairy by 2030" said Evita Duffy Alfonso, who exposed the story on The Federalist, "Individuals will receive 3 new clothing items per year, per person, along with one short haul return flight every 3 years, and then zero private vehicle ownership." Apparently, Houston has been a part of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group for years. "Their goal is to mitigate the effects of climate change, and keep the earth's heating to only 1.5 degrees Celsius" Duffy-Alfonso told KTRH, "By 2030, you'll own nothing and you'll be happy. So this isn't really about the climate, it's really about social control." Control and a radical goal, while helping the left impose their radical agenda. August 27: The Daily Mail: Afghan refugees who helped US still in limbo about plans to let them stay in the USA Almost 78,000 Afghan refugees who fought alongside the U.S. military have come to America since the Biden administration's chaotic withdrawal. Two years after escaping the evil Taliban leadership to start new lives, most are still in limbo and have no idea how long they will be allowed to stay. Congress has yet to work out a long-term plan for their residency, and advocates are getting frustrated. August 27: The Daily Caller: Crowd erupts as Mrs. America winner responds with a pro-family answer to judge's question Beauty pageant winner Hannah Neeleman gave a pro-family response to a judge's question at the Mrs. American contest Friday. "When have you felt most empowered?" a judge asked Neeleman onstage. "I have felt this feeling seven times now as I bring these sacred souls to the earth," Neeleman responded. "After I hold that newborn baby in my arms, the feeling of motherhood and bringing them to the earth is the most empowering feeling I have ever felt." August 27: News Max: Turley: Based upon AG Garland's actions, the House needs to start the impeachment of Biden Law professor and constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley said the House of Representatives must begin an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden's alleged influence-peddling in his son's foreign business dealings. He says the greatest case for an impeachment inquiry has been made by Attorney General Merrick Garland himself. Not only has the Department of Justice dragged out an investigation into Hunter Biden that has seen the statute of limitations expire on major potential crimes, Garland has refused to probe then-Vice President Biden's possible involvement. And in elevating U.S. Attorney David Weiss to the status of special counsel in this investigation, Garland disregarded the DOJ's code on special counsels that requires an appointment from outside the department. "With the investigative impediments created by the Weiss appointment and by Garland's refusal to expressly extend the special counsel's mandate to the allegations of Biden family influence peddling, there is little choice but to commence an impeachment inquiry. The authority of the House is at its apex when carrying out its duties under the impeachment clause." "Whatever interest — or ability — remains to prosecute Hunter Biden, Congress has a separate duty to confirm any high crimes and misdemeanors committed by [Joe] Biden," Turley wrote. "Indeed, the Democrats themselves established precedent for carrying out retroactive impeachments for prior offices, including any which may have occurred when Biden was vice president. Garland's naming of the special counsel served to prevent Weiss and his team from testifying before House committees during an active investigation. However, with an impeachment proceeding these roadblocks to getting to the truth no longer apply.  August 27: The Jerusalem Post: Russians escort US Reper drone over the Black Sea A Russian SU-30 military plane escorted a US reconnaissance Reaper drone on Sunday over the Black Sea, RIA news agency reported, citing the Russian defense ministry. TASS news agency said the drone had not breached Russia's state border. August 26: The Daily Caller: Tucker Carlson blasts US ambassador for "disgusting behavior" Tucker Carlson criticized the behavior of the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, in a speech Friday at MCC Feszt in Budapest. "The world is realigning at high speed, and turning against the United States. But the Biden Administration is spending its time harassing one of our last sincere allies in Europe, Hungary, for the crime of being too Christian," Carlson said. Carlson, who was visiting Hungary for the second time, said that Pressman "hates Hungary" and emphasized that "they hate it not because of what it's done, but because it is "one of the last countries that identifies as a nation built on Christian precepts." Carlson compared Hungary to "America circa 1985." He characterized its population as "people [who] disagree, but they're not on the verge of shooting each other." August 26: Fox News: Biden asking Congress to fund new COVID vaccine and may try to require everybody to take it Joe Biden said Friday he plans to request additional funding from Congress for the development of a new COVID-19 vaccine, adding he may require everyone to take it, regardless of if they previously received a vaccine or not. Biden, who is vacationing in the Lake Tahoe area, was asked by a reporter on Friday if he could say anything about the uptick of COVID cases and a new variant. "Yes, I can," Biden said. "I signed off this morning on a proposal we have to present to Congress a request for additional funding for a new vaccine that is necessary, that works." The new booster program would come nearly a year after Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic "over" in September 2022, though he said, "We're still doing a lot of work on it." August 26: The Washington Examiner: Democrats force recall vote on leftwing leader of the state House A Democrat union in Oregon has collected enough signatures to force a recall election of one of the state's top Democrats, opening up what could be the first recall election in the state legislature in 35 years. The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, surpassed the threshold to trigger the recall for Oregon state Rep. Paul Holvey, a Eugene Democrat, by securing 5,000 valid signatures, according to a spokesman for the Oregon secretary of state's office on Thursday. Holvey now has three days to decide whether to resign or appear on the ballot. "Oregonians deserve better representation than Paul Holvey provides; this applies especially to working Oregonians who have been left behind by Holvey and the Democratic Party's Caucus leadership," union communications coordinator Miles Eshaia said. Recall elections in the state are extremely rare. Only three state legislators have been recalled in the past century, one in 1935, one in 1985, and one in 1988. August 25: The Epoch Times: Biden: Everyone should get the new COVID booster shot Joe Biden told reporters Friday that his administration will "likely" recommend that everyone get a new COVID-19 vaccine. "I signed off this morning on a proposal we have to present to the Congress, a request for additional funding for a new vaccine — that is necessary, that works," he said while taking questions from reporters outside a pilates facility in South Lake Tahoe, California. "And tentatively, not decided finally yet, [recommend] …that everybody get it, no matter whether they got it before," he added. August 25: Fox News: Hawaiian businesses; Its not about you, Joe! An equipment rental business in Honolulu, Hawaii, slammed Joe Biden's recent comments comparing a fire in his kitchen to the deadly and devastating Maui wildfires. Hawaiian Rent-All, known online for its witty signage, changed its business' storefront to send Biden a message after his recent speech in Hawaii. "Sorry you almost lost your '67 Corvette in a fire, Mr. President," the sign reads. "Maui strong." Hawaiian Rent-All posted a picture of the sign to the company's Facebook page where the firm commented that genuine "sympathy is better than contrived empathy." "It's not always about you, Mr. President," the company added. The post has subsequently gone viral. August 25: United Press International: Houston chosen as the site of the 2028 Republican Convention According to Politico, Houston will host the 2028 GOP national convention, citing a decision made Friday in a private meeting of Republican officials. "After a smart business decision made by the RNC last spring to allow us to select the next convention city earlier than ever, we are looking forward to seeing Houston in the spotlight come 2028," Ronna McDaniel, chair of the RNC said in a statement. Houston's Toyota Center will host the GOP's 2028 convention general session. "As the nation's most diverse and inclusive city, we believe Houston represents the future of the United States, and our aspirations for the country," said Michael Heckman, the president and CEO of Houston First Corp. "We're excited to show off these attributes and our hospitality. We do it every day, and we look forward to doing it again in 2028." August 25: Fox News: Hawaiian businesses; It’s not about you, Joe! An equipment rental business in Honolulu, Hawaii, slammed Joe Biden's recent comments comparing a fire in his kitchen to the deadly and devastating Maui wildfires. Hawaiian Rent-All, known online for its witty signage, changed its business' storefront to send Biden a message after his recent speech in Hawaii. "Sorry you almost lost your '67 Corvette in a fire, Mr. President," the sign reads. "Maui strong." Hawaiian Rent-All posted a picture of the sign to the company's Facebook page where the firm commented that genuine "sympathy is better than contrived empathy." "It's not always about you, Mr. President," the company added. The post has subsequently gone viral. August 25: Axios.com: What's next for the Wagner Group The apparent killing of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigohin and other high-ranking officials of the Wagner Private Military Company in a plane crash this week leaves the Kremlin-funded group's future in question. Without its founder and other top commanders, it is difficult to predict how Wagner will operate going forward, but it is likely that the group is the weakest it has ever been since first emerging nearly a decade ago, analysts told Axios. Russian President Putin acknowledged the plane crash, that was allegedly caused by a bomb planted on board, for the first time on Thursday, calling Prigozhin a man with a "complicated fate" and saying that he "made some serious mistakes in life." August 25: News Max: Capitol Hill police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6th promoted The Capitol Police officer, who shot and killed demonstrator Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6, 2021, protest, is set to be promoted from lieutenant to captain. Roll Call reported that Michael Byrd's planned promotion was announced by police in an internal memo. Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot while attempting to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the office lobby of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside the Capitol. Roll Call noted that Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was not armed. The Justice Department made the decision not to bring criminal charges against Byrd, the outlet said. A probe by the Capitol Police's Office of Professional Responsibility found Byrd's conduct was "lawful and within Department policy." Some Republicans have characterized Babbitt's death differently. In February, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene(R-GA) said she wanted to use her position on the House Oversight Committee to investigate claims of "civil rights abuses" committed against Trump supporters arrested on Jan. 6 and review Babbitt's shooting. August 24: The Washington Times: House investigating Fulton County (GA) DA Willis for possible coordination with feds over indictment of Trump House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordon (R-OH) announced the committee launched an inquiry into whether Fulton County Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis coordinated with federal officials, including Special Counsel Jack Smith, with her indictment of former President Trump. Jordan sent a letter Thursday to Willis, demanded information and communications with the Department of Justice and Executive Branch officials and information on her office's federal funding. Committee members suspect that Willis 'indictment and prosecution of Trump; former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and John Eastman — a former DOJ official, among others, raise substantial federal interests. They are concerned that her actions may be politically motivated. Both the state and federal prosecutions allege that Trump and his allies violated election laws to overturn the 2020 presidential election. "There are questions about whether and how your office coordinated with DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith during the course of this investigation, and Congress has an interest in any such activity that involves federal law enforcement agencies and officials that fall under its oversight," Jordan wrote. "News outlets have reported that your office and Mr. Smith 'interviewed many of the same witnesses and reviewed much of the same evidence' in reaching your decision to indict President Trump."  August 24: The Washington Times: Trump booked at the Fulton County Jail President Trump surrendered Thursday night to authorities in Georgia, where he was arrested on charges that he illegally plotted to reverse the state's 2020 election. Trump was arrested, fingerprinted and had his mug shot taken at the Fulton County Jail, a historic moment because it is the first criminal mugshot ever taken of a former president. He did not have his mugshot taken in any of his three previous arrests. The former president's personal information was entered into the Fulton County booking system. The information recorded him as having "blonde or strawberry" hair, blue eyes, a height of 6-foot-3 and a weight of 215 pounds. His inmate number was entered into the system. Trump was quickly processed and released in about 20 minutes and did not make any comments to the media at the jail. Supporters of the former president rallied outside the jail with flags and pro-Trump signs. August 24: News Max: Trump replaces attorney before surrendering to Fulton County DA President Donald Trump replaced lead attorney Drew Findling with Atlanta-based lawyer Steven Sadow, whose profile boasts of a career as a "special counsel for white collar and high-profile defense." The move was not motivated by Findling's performance, according to multiple reports. "I have been retained to represent President Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia case. The president should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him," Sadow said in a statement. "We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open-minded jury finding the president not guilty." Trump is expected to retain attorney Jennifer Little to work with Sadow in Georgia. The legal team shakeup is the prelude to the circus that's to come in Atlanta on Thursday night, when Trump is expected to surrender in prime time, a move reportedly made to maximize media coverage.  August 24: The Daily Mail: Taiwan denies Chinese nuclear sub crashed, sunk, all hands lost in the strait
Taiwan officials have denied reports that a Chinese nuclear sub crashed near the disputed Taiwan Strait. Rumors have circulated that a Type 093 (Shang class) People's Liberation Army nuclear-powered attack submarine had crashed in unknown circumstances at some point in the past few days, killing everyone aboard. The reports came just days after China launched military drills near Taiwan intended to serve as a 'stern warning' against colluding with 'foreign elements'. There has been no official confirmation of the accident or any deaths of Chinese officials onboard the vessel. The Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Sun Li-fang said the nation's joint intelligence and surveillance apparatus has not detected any evidence of a submarine crash in the Taiwan Strait. Li-fang announced that the Ministry of National Defense was meticulously monitoring 'all maritime and aerial activities around the Taiwan Strait.' The Taiwan Strait is a disputed 180-kilometer arm of the Pacific Ocean separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The Type 093 submarine, known as 'Shang class,' has a displacement of 6,096 tons when submerged and can reach speeds of up to 56 km/h. It can hold a crew of 100 people and its range is unlimited due to its nuclear propulsion, according to Naval News. August 23: The Daily Signal: Highlights from Carlson-Trump debate-night interview Trump instead taped the 46-minute interview with Tucker Carlson for streaming during the GOP presidential debate which was aired by Fox, the network that fired Carlson in April of this year. Carlson's interview with Trump, which took place in the former president's home in Bedminster, New Jersey, touched on Democrats' multiple indictments of Trump, the jailhouse death of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the likelihood of civil war, and Trump's thoughts on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Carlson, noting that after everything the Left has thrown at Trump since 2015 hasn't stopped him, asked whether the former president worried that he would be targeted for assassination. Trump said there are some good people who are Democrats and that his job is to represent everybody. "But I've seen what they [some of the Democrats] do, I've seen the lengths that they go to, when they make up the 'Russia, Russia," Trump responded. Trump talked about the importance of voter ID to clean up elections as well as the dangers of mail-in voting. August 23: News Max: Fox pushed climate change in GOP debate; candidates push back Several candidates during Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate pushed back after being asked whether they believed "human behavior" was causing climate change. Little more than 20 minutes into the debate, Fox News co-moderator Bret Baier pointed out that the Biden administration said the Maui wildfires occurred because "climate change amplified the cost of human error." Co-moderator Martha MacCallum followed by mentioning the recent tropical storm that hit Southern California, relatively hot waters off the coast of Florida and an extreme heatwave in the Southwest. MacCallum asked the GOP candidates to raise their hands if they believed "in human behavior causing climate change." No candidate raised his or her hand. August 22: The Epoch Times: Numerous motions made to remove Trump indictments in Georgia from state courts Multiple codefendants of Donald Trump charged over contesting the 2020 general elections in Georgia have now filed notices of removal, requesting the state case be moved to federal court where they will likely have charges or the entire case dismissed based on immunities or additional defenses outlined in the U.S. Constitution. The nature of each notice differed greatly, pulling from various precedents and listing ever more additional defenses. Only one notice is needed in order to move the entire case from state to federal court. Lawyers for Mark Meadows, former chief of staff to Trump, argued in a motion to dismiss the charges that by filing their notice of removal a day after the indictment that the entire case is already in the federal court jurisdiction, whether other codefendants have applicable defenses or not. Meadows asked for prompt action before August 25th the deadline set by Fulton County DA Willis for voluntary surrender of the 10 defendants before they will face arrest. The main argument for removal centers around the supremacy clause, which states: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof ... shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding." This is generally interpreted to mean that federal law takes precedence over all other laws, and federal officers are therefore not bound by state laws and courts. The federal officer removal statute allows state criminal cases to be removed to federal court when it concerns a federal officer, or a person acting "under color of" the federal officer. In the case of Mr. Meadows, his lawyers argue, citing 34 cases, both that he is a federal official and emphasize that he was carrying out duties "on the behalf of the President."  August 23: The Washington Examiner: Look what can happen if you get crosswise with Putin; Former ally killed The number of high-profile Russians who have died under unusual circumstances over the years has led the world to speculate that Russian President Putin might have been involved in at least some of them. The Russian president has turned multiple allies into enemies, including Russian mercenary chief Yevgenyt Prigozhin, who was reportedly killed on Wednesday as a passenger on a private jet that crashed north of Moscow. Initial reports were that the aircraft was taken out by a SAM missile. Later reports are that there was a bomb on board. Prigozhin was on a plane belonging to Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force, carrying ten people who all died. Prigozhin launched a large-scale uprising against Putin's regime in June that lasted 24 hours before the Kremlin announced Prigozhin would be exiled to Belarus. He grew up in the same St. Petersburg neighborhoods as Putin, and he was close with the Russian chief, earning the nickname "Putin's chef" for his hefty contracts with the military. Prigozhin built the group that would come to be known as Wagner, helping Putin expand Russia's global interests and acquisitions. However, tensions began to rise between the two after Russia's full invasion of Ukraine, which was backed heavily by Wagner troops. Prigozhin became a threat to Putin's power, ordering his troops to march toward Moscow after accusing Russia's military leadership of killing his forces. August 23: Sky News: Russian forces "appear concerned" about recent Ukrainian advances Satellite images between last November and this month show Russian forces "notably sped up" the expansion of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia, according to US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian Colonel Petro Chernyk said conditions are set for Ukrainian forces to enter the Northern Azov region and "demolish" Russian positions in southern Ukraine and occupied Crimea. He also said Russian forces are strengthening their positions on the Perekop Isthmus, about 100 miles north of Sevastopol, building three lines of defense in the area. Russian forces have also created four unspecified "groups" in Crimea in preparation for a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Ukraine's head of military intelligence Major General Kyrylo Budanov said - something he noted had never happened before. These two actions may indicate Russian forces are "growing increasingly concerned about recent Ukrainian advances along the southern front", the ISW said. August 22: The New York Post: Biden's self-admitted influence peddling in Ukraine In a 2018 interview at the Council on Foreign Relations, Biden bragged that he unilaterally withheld a billion dollars in US aid from the Ukrainians to force them to fire Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin. The Ukrainians balked, but Biden said he gave them an ultimatum: "I looked at them and said, 'I'm leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money.' Well, son of a bitch. He got fired." The response from the those attending the meeting was rapturous, though the story was not only impolitic but embarrassing for an ally. A State Department memo is shedding disturbing light on that account and shredding aspects of Biden's justification for the action. Indeed, the ultimatum may have been the quid in a quid pro quo agreement as part of the Biden influence-peddling scandal. Reportedly Biden was told to deliver on the federal aid but elected to unilaterally demand that prosecutor Shokin be fired. When the firing occurred, Shokin's office was investigating Burisma Holdings, an energy firm that was paying Biden's son Hunter a huge amount of money. August 22: The Daily Caller: Constitutional scholar Turley: Barring Trump from the ballot "The Single Most Dangerous Constitutional Theory" ever George Washington University law professor and Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley said efforts to block Donald Trump using the 14th Amendment were "the single most dangerous constitutional theory" he had seen. An article by William Baude of the University of Chicago and Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St Thomas slated to be published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review suggests that Trump may be ineligible to run for president in 2024 due to his efforts to contest the 2020 election. A similar effort to disqualify then-Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina for allegedly supporting the Jan. 6, protest at the Capitol building was revived by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in May 2022. "Under the 14th Amendment, you have this bar on federal office, if you supported or if you gave aid and comfort to an insurrection or rebellion," Turley contended. "Now, of course, that brings you to the original question. What was January 6th? In the view of many … it was a protest that became a riot. It was not a rebellion or insurrection. But that's a matter of disagreement between citizens. But Donald Trump hasn't been charged with insurrection, not even incitement. Special Counsel Jack Smith charged him with a variety of crimes like fraud. He notably did not charge him with even incitement." Therefore the 14th amendment logic won't hold water, Turley concluded. August 22: iHeartMedia-KTRH Radio News: Texas lawsuit could bankrupt Planned Parenthood in the lone star state One year after Texas banned most abortions in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the state could bankrupt its largest abortion provider. Texas is suing Planned Parenthood for millions in Medicaid charges rung up after the organization was booted off of Medicaid. "Planned Parenthood was caught in an undercover operation a few years ago harvesting and selling body parts from babies that were aborted at their facilities," says Dr. Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life. "They were eliminated from the state Medicaid program because they were engaged in fraud---selling the body parts." Planned Parenthood challenged their removal from Medicaid in court, but continued to bill the program while the case played out. Ultimately, the courts sided with Texas, but not before Planned Parenthood had charged some $17 million to the program. "They were fraudulently billing the state of Texas, milking them out of money for our tax dollars," says Pojman. "The state of Texas deserves that back with penalties. This is according to federal law and state law." In addition to the $17 million in actual Medicaid charges, Texas is seeking more than $1 billion in penalties, fines and punitive damages. A federal judge in North Texas heard arguments in the case last week. If the state wins the case, the future of Planned Parenthood in Texas is uncertain. August 21: The Washington Times: House investigators subpoena IRS and FBI agents in expanded Hunter Biden probe House Republicans issued subpoenas Monday ordering testimony from four FBI and IRS employees who lawmakers believe can sort through the political machinations that led to a no-jail plea deal for Hunter Biden. They said the four employees can shed light on whether the Justice Department constrained David Weiss, the U.S. attorney charged with investigating the president's son. In particular, they were all supposed to be aware of an Oct. 7, 2022, meeting during which Weiss may have indicated he was being blocked from pursuing the kind of case he wanted. The subpoenas went to Michael T. Batdorf, the director of field operations at the IRS; Darrell J. Waldon, an IRS special agent in charge; and Thomas J. Sobocinski and Ryeshia Holley, both FBI special agents in charge. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith said the IRS and Justice Department have refused requests to have the four people come in voluntarily.  August 21: The Daily Mail: Millbrae, CA; Homelessness may be a problem but don't put them in my neighborhood
A local council meeting in an affluent San Francisco suburb descended into chaos when hundreds of 'rowdy' residents began booing plans to place homeless people in a nearby hotel. Crowds of angry Millbrae residents packed out their local community hall on Friday to protest 'Project Homekey' proposals to house 100 rough sleepers at the La Quinta hotel on El Camino Real, close to the city center. So many people turned up that hundreds had to stand outside the 300-man capacity hall to hear proposals outlined by San Mateo County Executive Mike Callagy. But Callagy's speech was quickly 'drowned out' by boos from the audience, according to Jordan Grimes, the leader of a grassroots campaign group for affordable housing who was present at the meeting. Videos show the crowd loudly remonstrating in scenes akin to a sports stadium crowd. Some residents yelled their opposition, while others waved signs, flung their arms in the air and made thumbs-down gestures toward the speakers. August 21: The Washington Examiner: Catholic schools in Northern VA see third major year of growth in enrollment as public schools fail to reach pre-COVID levels The Catholic schools in the northern Virginia area registered their third straight year of growing enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year, marking a 10% increase in enrollment since the pandemic began in 2020. With 37 elementary schools, four high schools, three stand-alone preschools and five independent schools, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington has continued to record increased student enrollment, even as public school districts in Virginia have continually failed to reach pre-pandemic enrollment levels. An estimated 18,488 students have enrolled in schools within the diocese, whose geographic boundaries comprise the entirety of northern Virginia, including the highly populated counties of Loudoun and Fairfax. The latest enrollment numbers represent a 10% jump from the 2019-20 school year.  August 21: United Press International: Pentagon awards contract for tiny military defense satellites The Pentagon announced Monday it has awarded $1.5 billion to contractors Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin for a "swarm" of 72 tiny prototype satellites meant to detect incoming enemy missiles. The Space Development Agency said each company will build and operate 36 of the satellites, with approximately $816 million going to Lockheed Martin and $733 million to Northrop Grumman for the project. The small satellites, each about one-eighth the size of current satellites, constitute the "Tranche 2 Transport Layer" of the U.S. Space Force's planned Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, which when fully deployed will include nearly 1,000 craft in low orbit around the Earth. The first 28 satellites, called Tranche 0, are scheduled to be launched this year. August 21: News Max: The feud between Trump and Fox News continues; Trump surrogates denied access to Fox's Debate "spin room" Fox News will not allow surrogates of former President Donald Trump into the spin room of Wednesday's GOP presidential debate, a highly unusual move that could be construed as retaliatory over Trump's decision to skip it. Meanwhile, a taped interview of Tucker Carlson interviewing Trump will be aired on Twitter during the same time as the Fox News-hosted GOP debate. Axios reported the exclusion of Trump's people, citing a memo it says it obtained, that Fox has restricted the spin room to aides of candidates who are participating in the debate. Trump is the only candidate who qualified for the stage in Milwaukee who declined to be there. Despite Trump's absence, aides and surrogates of his were expected to be in Milwaukee to take part in the post-debate promotion of their candidate. Now, per the memo, Trump's people will only be allowed into the spin room if they are guests of media organizations.  August 20: The Washington Times: Ukrainian pilots get training for new F-16 aircraft Ukrainian pilots have begun training on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets in a development that could shift the balance of Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russian invaders after 18 months of war. While the arrival of the advanced aircraft into the conflict, and the preparation of Ukrainian military personnel is likely to take several months, officials in Kyiv hailed the development over the weekend. "Training has begun," said Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, adding that in addition to pilots, Ukrainian technicians and engineers are also being schooled on the advanced aircraft. Reznikov's comments, which appeared in Ukrainian media outlets Saturday according to CNN, came a day after the Biden administration announced that it had approved the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine from the Netherlands and Denmark. It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict. Officials said Ukrainian pilots will first have to undergo at least six months of training. August 20: The Washington Examiner: Russian Luna-25 spacecraft crash lands on the moon Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country's Roscosmos space agency said Sunday. The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday. However the lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an Russians "abnormal situation." "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon," read a statement from the agency. Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft launched on July 14th to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23. The lunar mission was Russia's first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China. August 19: The Epoch Times: Federal Judge strikes Texas election integrity provision on Ballots by Mail Federal judges in Georgia and Texas have struck down key provisions of elections laws passed two years ago as Republicans sought to bolster election integrity as allegations of fraud and other irregularities during the hotly contested 2020 presidential election fueled calls for elections to be made more secure. In Texas, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez – appointed by George W. Bush -- nixed a provision in state law that required officials to reject mail-in ballots with ID numbers that don't match the ones on voter registration forms, according to a summary judgment issued on Aug. 17. The now-abolished provision required that mail-in ballots be rejected if they bear a different Texas driver's license number or ID number of the voter than what was on their original application for voter registration. August 19: The Texas Scorecard: Court case on redistricting of Galveston County commissioner's districts continues According to defense witness and professional demographer, race was not a factor in redrawing Galveston County's commissioners court precincts in 2021; but to some observers the result shafted the chances of Commissioner Stephen Holmes (D), an African-American, to be reelected. Thomas Bryan, a redistricting expert hired by the county to create precinct maps based on 2020 Census data, testified that race "was not in any way a factor" in drawing his maps. "At no point was I asked to consider racial demographics when drawing the maps, and I did not consider racial demographics when drawing them.," he said. A group of plaintiffs in three consolidated lawsuits have challenged the map as being intentionally racially discriminatory, a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, because the county's lone majority-minority commissioner precinct was eliminated. All four precincts are now majority white. Two are represented by black commissioners, one Democrat and one Republican. Closing arguments are to be submitted in writing. The decision in the case may well impact how redistricting is done in other jurisdictions within Texas. August 19: The Washington Examiner: Voters are concerned about Chinese influence on U.S. Government China's ascension in geopolitics has been a hotly debated issue in recent years. The Sino influence has steadily grown worldwide since the early 21st century. During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump discussed China's impact on this country at the forefront of national security and economic concerns. Mainly spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation's voters have demonstrated an increased awareness of China's influence and rise (i.e., as the source for pharmaceuticals). A recent Rasmussen poll revealed that most voters in the country think the nation's politicians are influenced and compromised by China. According to the survey, 63% of voters believed that, to varying degrees, China has some level of influence over American politicians.  August 18: The Post Newspaper: A moment in history; the ratification of 19th Amendment – 103 years ago today
One hundred and three years ago Friday was a momentous day in the history of our nation. It's a story that started back in December 1849 when a man from Massachusetts arrived in San Francisco Bay on a clipper ship. He became a U.S. Senator and in January 1878 he became the first person to introduce the resolution that was to become the nineteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution – granting women the right to vote. His amendment was introduced and reintroduced in each subsequent session of Congress long after his death in 1887. Today, sadly, we see far too many men and women not voting. We have seen contests won by a single vote. People have fought too long and too hard to secure this right for you to see it frittered away. Register to vote; go to the polls and vote! It's important that you do so! August 18: Mediaite.com: Gingrich reported a "Washington insider" called the DA in Fulton County, GA saying they must indict Trump no later than last Monday Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, noting that this is hearsay, told Mediaite.com that a very reliable source told him that a Washington insider called Fulton County, Georgia DA, Fani Willis, and told her that she needed to indict Donald Trump no later than Monday. When Willis said the Grand Jury was not scheduled to meet until Tuesday the insider reportedly told her she needed to do so no later than Monday night. Reports are that the indictment was needed because of the mess up of Weiss appointment as special counsel in Washington, DC was so messed up and was getting so much bad attention that the Georgia indictment was needed to take off the heat. Gingrich, noted twice that what he was saying was second hand but that it came from a person who should know. August 18: News Max: Georgia State legislator calls for impeachment or defunding of Fulton County DA Georgia's lawmakers have the ability to "neuter" Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' powers by defunding her office and then voting to impeach her, Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore said Friday. Willis' office earlier this week indicted Donald Trump and 18 allies over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, with prosecutors using a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers, and other aides of a "criminal enterprise" to keep him in power. "The legislature has an important role, and that is oversight of judicial and executive officers in this state, just like it is in states all across the country," Moore said. Willis posted the text of the indictment before the Grand Jury had met to vote on it and then claimed it was a test that wasn't supposed to be posted. August 18: Fox News: Obama-Biden Admin defended use of alternate email accounts long before Biden aliases were revealed Joe Biden has taken fire this week for reportedly using aliases and "secret" email addresses as vice president in messages to his son Hunter Biden, who had business in Ukraine at the time. Under former President Barack Obama's administration, White House officials defended the use of alternate email addresses. During a 2013 press briefing, the Obama-Biden White House, amid accusations that individuals within the administration had been using "secret" email addresses for correspondence, highlighted its belief that using "alternate email addresses" for high-ranking officials made "eminent sense." While fielding questions from reporters at the briefing, Jay Carney, then White House press secretary was asked about a story from AP that claimed a variety of senior administration officials possessed secret email addresses and whether the content of these emails would be available under freedom of information act requests. Carney responded, "Any FOIA request or congressional inquiry includes a search in all of the email accounts used by any political appointee." August 18: The Epoch Times: US Court of Appeals in DC strikes down sentence for Jan. 6th defendant A federal appeals court on Aug. 18 struck down the use of so-called "split sentences" in Jan. 6 cases — imposing both prison and probation for petty-offense misdemeanors such as the often-used charge of "parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building." The 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit could affect a large number of Jan. 6 cases where the U.S. Department of Justice recommended — and district judges imposed — sentences with jail and probation for "parading" convictions. The Court of Appeals said the split sentence is not allowed. "The only question on appeal is whether that sentence is authorized by statute. It is not," wrote Circuit Judge Justin R. Walker for the appeals court majority. "Probation and imprisonment are alternative sentences that cannot generally be combined. So, the district court could not impose both for Little's petty offense." August 17: United Press International (UPI): Florida judge to hold closed-door hearing on classified documents in Trump case The federal judge hearing former President Trump's classified documents case said she will hold a closed-door hearing to discuss the special counsel's request to protect the secret documents connected to the case. Judge Aileen Cannon said the sealed hearing "will take place at a designated time and place to discuss sensitive, security-related issues concerning classified discovery." Cannon did not disclose when and where that hearing will happen. Cannon, a Trump appointee, said the ex-president and his co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira will not have to attend the hearing, leaving the work to their lawyers Trump faces charges in U.S. District Court in Florida pertaining to retaining classified government records after leaving the White House and keeping those documents in boxes at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. The judge's decision comes after the prosecutor's request for the protective order had already been filed publicly. August 17: Fox News: GA state senator moves to impeach Fulton County DA for weaponizing justice system to go after political opponent A Georgia state senator is moving to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over the charges brought against former President Trump. Sen. Colton Moore is moving to impeach Willis, accusing the prosecutor of carrying out a political agenda against Trump. " I am officially calling for an emergency session to review the actions of Fani Willis," Moore said on social media Thursday. "America is under attack. I'm not going to sit back and watch as radical left prosecutors politically target political opponents," he added. Moore also published a letter to Governor Brian Kemp demanding a special session be called to address "the actions of Fani Willis." "We, the undersigned, being duly elected members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate, and comprising 3/5 of each respective house, pursuant to Article IV, Section II, Paragraph VII(b), hereby certify to you, in writing, with a copy to the Secretary of State, that in our opinion an emergency exists in the affairs of the state, requiring a special session to be convened under that section, for all purposes, to include, without limitation, the review and response to the actions of Fani Willis," the letter reads. August 17: YouTube: A blast from the past! The Smothers Brothers skit about politicians and issues of times past which may ring true today With equal opportunity jabs at political leaders, the Smothers Brothers take on the Congress, the Cabinet, and the National Debt. August 17: News Max: The U.S. approves Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16s to Ukraine The United States has approved the third-party transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands as soon as pilot training is complete. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave that assurance in a letter sent Thursday to his Danish and Dutch counterparts. "I am writing to express the United States' full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors," Blinken wrote to the officials, Reuters reported, citing access to a copy of the letter. "It remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty," Blinken added. August 16: The Daily Caller: Leaked memo: Illegal Chinese marijuana operations are taking over in blue states Lucrative Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations are popping up all over Maine, according to a federal memorandum distributed within Border Patrol that was obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Law enforcement in Maine identified 270 suspected properties used for Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations that could produce an estimated $4.37 billion in revenue, the July memo states. Chinese nationals who either have resident status in the U.S. or asylum claims that prevent them from being removed from the country tend to operate such grows, a federal law enforcement source, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly, said. "We think the Chinese are taking advantage of rural areas, like Maine, to produce marijuana to sell across state lines and funnel the profits back to China," the federal law enforcement source said. August 16: The Washington Examiner: KS prosecutor finds insufficient evidence to warrant raid on local newspaper that caused death of its owner A Kansas county prosecutor has withdrawn the warrant for a raid on a small-town newspaper, stating that the county police had "insufficient evidence" to seize information from the paper. Marion County Police officers and sheriff's deputies raided the Marion County Record on Aug. 11, seizing phones and equipment. The raid caused the paper, which had been running for over 150 years, to shut down, prompting nationwide backlash from press freedom activists who said the raid was a violation of constitutional rights. Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey said on Wednesday there was "insufficient evidence" to establish a "legally sufficient nexus between this alleged crime and the places searched and the items seized." Ensey said police believed an "employee of the newspaper may have committed" a computer-based crime but there was not enough to justify a raid. August 16: The Washington Times: NC legislature overrides governor's veto of prohibition of men competing in women's sports North Carolina became the latest state to ban male-born athletes from female sports and gender-transition procedures for minors as the Republican supermajority overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes. In a daylong override spree, Republican legislators overturned vetoes Wednesday on a half-dozen bills, including measures related to transgender issues and parental rights. They included House Bill 808, which prohibits cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries for those under 18. The Senate voted 27-18 shortly after the House voted 73-46 to enact the bill over the governor's objections. The legislature also jettisoned the governor's veto of HB 574, named the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which bars male students from participating in female scholastic sports in middle school, high school and universities. August 16: The Daily Caller: Turley: Georga DA may have "tripped the wire" with her approach to Trump prosecution George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Wednesday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may have "tripped the wire" with their prosecutorial approach. A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, handed down ten indictments Monday night, charging Trump and other associates over Trump's efforts to contest the 2020 election results in that state. "This is going to be this massive production and she is going to do it in this rather short period of time. Now, the defense has to go through what are effectively three grand juries, three years of investigation, there's 19 defendants that may have conflicts," Turley said. "There is going to be a flurry of motions, constitutional questions raised." "The question is: Why this mad rush? Why is everyone not just piling on indictments but jamming together these trials, daisy-chaining them from Super Tuesday to virtually the inauguration, if you count the civil cases as well?" Turley asked. "At some point judges are going to have to step in and be a mature voice and say, 'look, okay, stop it, this guy has got to prepare a defense in multiple cases.'" Special Counsel Jack Smith got a four-count indictment of Trump. Legal experts note much of the conduct Smith claimed was criminal in the indictment appeared to be protected by the First Amendment. Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz said the indictment not only attacked the First Amendment, but also Trump's Sixth Amendment right to counsel. August 15: Fox News: GA Trump indictment posted before the Grand Jury actually voted on it The Fulton County Clerk of Courts Office is back peddling after it posted the Georgia indictment of Trump prior to the grand jury even voted on it. In offering an explanation they claimed the posting was supposed to be a test and not on the live website. Reuters first reported on the document before the Fulton County Court quickly removed it from the website and released a statement, blasting the document as "fictitious" and warning the media "that documents that do not bear an official case number, filing date, and the name of The Clerk of Courts, in concert, are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such." The indictment was handed up and unsealed Monday night, bearing the same charges as listed on the alleged "fictitious" document. [See Related Story why this might have happened] August 15: The Epoch Times: Georgia indictment violates democratic norms, experts say The Georgia grand jury's indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn 2020 election results may violate democratic norms but that doesn't mean the case will be resolved quickly, legal experts say. Their comments came after Trump and 18 co-defendants — including several of his former attorneys — were indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, late on Aug. 14 over Trump's efforts to contest the election in Georgia. Charges range from violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, soliciting the violation of an oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit filing of false documents. August 15: The Washington Examiner: Mark Meadows requests removal from Fulton County GA case, asking it be moved to a federal court President Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows is seeking to move the Fulton County, Georgia, case brought against him to federal court. Meadows was indicted alongside the Trump and 17 others on Monday for allegedly attempting to subvert the 2020 election results. George Terwilliger, Meadows's attorney, argued in the filing that because the case relates to conduct that "occurred during his tenure and as part of his service as Chief of Staff," he has the right to remove his portion of the proceedings from Fulton County Superior Court. "Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President's behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President," Terwilliger wrote in a 14-page filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Tuesday evening, saying these are expected from his role. August 15: The Daily Caller: Top FBI official involved with Russian oligarch plead guilty to conspiracy A former FBI official who played a key role in the "Russiagate" investigation into former President Donald Trump pled guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to provide illegal services to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, according to a press release from the U.S. Southern District of New York Attorney's Office. Charles McGonigal, a former special agent and chief of counterintelligence at the FBI's New York field office, pled guilty to money laundering and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), in connection to services provided to Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch. McGonigal was a key player in spearheading the "Crossfire Hurricane" probe – informally referred to as "Russiagate" – in 2016, which was the investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia.  August 15: The Washington Times: China expanding naval presence worldwide China has fully militarized at least three islands it built in the disputed South China Sea and is now looking around the world to establish a network of naval bases to bolster its ability to project power and match the global reach of the U.S. Navy. beijing's first overseas naval base, situated in the small country of Djibouti on the Horn of Africa and operational since 2017, has given it a foothold in the Arabian Sea. National security experts are speculating about the next outpost. The most likely possibilities are Sri Lanka, where China has made its largest overseas commercial port investment in the past decade, and Equatorial Guinea, which is strategically located on West Africa's Atlantic coast and could put Chinese naval assets squarely in America's backyard. Researchers at the College of William & Mary said it's just a matter of time before Chinese warships operate in faraway waters. The Pentagon has warned since 2021 that China boasts the world's largest maritime military fleet in terms of warships. Although weaker than the U.S. Navy in power, weaponry and sophistication, the People's Liberation Army Navy has more than 355 platforms compared with roughly 300 warships in the American fleet and they have an active building campaign underway. August 14: News Max: Disney (and Hulu) are paying a price for inserting politics and "wokism" into their business model Disney is facing falling profits and economic difficulties as it has sought to embrace the woke agenda. Last week Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger announced dramatic increases for its online streaming subscription services Disney+ and Hulu. Disney+ subscribers will see their monthly bill grow by $3 to almost $14 monthly – close to a staggering 27% increase. Similarly, Hulu -- Disney's virtual pay TV service -- will grow by $3 to $18 a month — representing a 20% hike. The increase makes Hulu the most expensive for services providing the most basic streaming TV services. Hulu has long been criticized for offering a long roster of left-wing news and entertainment channels while banning many conservative ones. Disney has seen its business suffer as it entered into a series of cultural battles across the nation, including officially opposing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts that banned talking about sexual issues to public school children in the third grade or younger. Since then, Disney's business profits have disappeared, with the company posting a net loss of $460 million in the most recent quarter. Last year the company had a profit of over $1.4 billion for the same quarter. Customers are clearly turning off Disney+ and Hulu. Disney+ lost about 600,000 subscribers over the past two quarters alone. Iger has vowed to cut over 7,000 jobs at Disney to bring the company back into profitability. Despite the losses Disney appears intent on embracing the woke agenda. August 12: Texas Scorecard: Allegation: Harris County counted 32,000 ballots illegally in 2022 New documents filed by Harris County Judge candidate Alexandra Mealer claim that 32,000 "likely illegal ballots" were counted in her contested November 2022 election—more than her opponent Lina Hidalgo's margin of victory. Mealer, a Republican, lost her race against Democrat incumbent Hidalgo by 18,183 votes. She filed an election contest in January, contending that Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum "committed systematic and widespread violations of Texas election law" that make the outcome of the election unknowable. In her new filing, Mealer's attorneys say Harris County records indicate more than 32,000 ballots were counted in violation of Texas law. Mealer's team cites four main categories of ballots that should not have been counted: (1) Voters who moved out of Harris County, according to the U.S. Postal Service's National Change of Address data (27,000), (2) Voters with canceled registrations (2,970), (3)Voters whose registration was in "suspense" but did not fill out the required "Statement of Residence" form attesting that they were eligible Harris County voters (2,038), and (4) Mail-in ballots that did not undergo proper signature verification (700). "An election is presumed valid when the law is followed," said Mealer. "However, when there are widespread violations and disregard for the election code, the true results are unknowable and a new election must be ordered." August 14: The Daily Caller: 98 year old KS newspaper owner dies after police raid on her business and confiscated electronics A 98-year-old co-owner of a small Kansas newspaper died Saturday, one day after a police raid on her home and the Marion County Record's office building. Joan Meyer had been undergoing severe stress and emotional distress in the hours before her death, the Marion County Record reported. She was allegedly unable to eat or sleep after police conducted the raid. Authorities confiscated personal electronics, computers, the newspaper's file server and other equipment, according to the outlet. Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody allegedly physically grabbed reporter Deb Gruver's cell phone, reinjuring one of her fingers in the process. CBS News reports, Cody later defended the raid, saying, "the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated." "It is true that in most cases, it requires police to use subpoenas, rather than search warrants, to search the premises of journalists unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search," he added. [See Related Story] Meanwhile, News Max reported several press freedom watchdogs condemned the Marion Police Department's actions as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution's protection for a free press. The Marion County Record's editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, worked with his staff Sunday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday, even as he took time in the afternoon to provide a local funeral home with information about his mother, Joan, the paper's co-owner. A search warrant tied Friday morning raids to a dispute between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell. She is accusing the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her and her driving record and suggested that the newspaper targeted her after she threw Meyer and a reporter out of restaurant during a political event. While Meyer saw Newell's complaints — which he said were untrue — as prompting the raids, he also believes the newspaper's aggressive coverage of local politics and issues played a role. He said the newspaper was examining Cody's past work with the Kansas City, Missouri, police as well. "This is the type of stuff that, you know, that Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do," Meyer said during an interview in his office. "This is Gestapo tactics from World War II." August 14: Fox News: Recently retired FBI agent; Biden transition team tipped off about plans to interview Hunter, subsequently the interview never happened An FBI supervisory special agent told congressional investigators that the Biden transition team and Secret Service headquarters were tipped off in December 2020 about a planned interview of Hunter Biden – a tip-off that resulted in the interview of then-President-elect Biden's son not taking place at all, even while he was labeled the target of the yearslong federal investigation. The agent, who worked for the FBI for more than two decades and retired from the bureau last year, participated in a transcribed interview under oath behind closed doors with the House Oversight Committee last month. His testimony came amid whistleblower allegations that prosecutorial decisions made throughout the Hunter Biden investigation, led by US Attorney David Weiss, were influenced by politics. IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley testified that the Biden transition team and the Secret Service were "tipped off" about the planned interview of Hunter Biden. The agent corroborates Shapley's testimony. Attorney General Merrick Garland last week sought to clear the cloud of alleged politicization from the investigation into the president's son, who pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge after an orchestrated plea deal with the Justice Department fell apart in federal court on grounds of unconstitutionality. August 13: Fox News: Ramaswamy: pulling the curtain back on Biden self-serving national security policy 2024 GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is pulling the curtain back on Biden's self-serving national security policy, making the bold declaration that "much" of the U.S.'s military defense spending within the last few decades has not been properly allocated. We need a modern Monroe Doctrine in this country. The dirty little secret is that much of our military defense spending in the last several decades has not actually gone to national defense. The reality is, if we do enter a serious conflict, and I worry that Joe Biden is sleepwalking us into potential nuclear conflict with Russia and Russia and China being in a military alliance with one another that would mean both nations. The reality is, we need defense capabilities of the homeland, nuclear defense capabilities, cyber defense capabilities, super EMP, electromagnetic pulse capabilities, that could take out our electric grid. We are way behind. And so, the hallmark of my foreign policy is going to be you don't mess with the homeland. Start with that first," Ramaswamy said.  August 13: UPI: Russian naval vessel stops cargo ship on its way to Ukrainian grain port
Russian naval forces in the Black Sea forced a cargo ship heading to a Ukrainian port to stop after firing warning shots, Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday. The Palau-flagged dry cargo ship Sukru Okan was on its way to the port of Izmail early on Sunday when it was intercepted by Black Sea Fleet's patrol boat Vasily Bykov for inspection, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Russian news agency Tass. August 12: News Max: Trump in Iowa; A tribute to love experienced throughout the country Former President Donald Trump, speaking at the Steer N' Stein at the Iowa State Fair Saturday said in his brief remarks that their comments were a "tribute of love" that he's experiencing nationwide. "No matter where we go, there's never been [more] enthusiasm," he said. Enthusiastic supporters crowded in and spilled onto the fairgrounds where he was speaking. "In 2016 we won. We did much better, I hate to say this, but we did much better in 2020…" Trump did not address the indictments he's facing or the scandals surrounding Hunter Biden, but instead stuck to promises to take care of the United States in his campaign stump speech. He said under Joe Biden, the United States is a "laughingstock all over the world," particularly "with millions and millions of people pouring into our country with no voter ID, with so many things, it's just so horrible." The "other side," doesn't "care about the farmers." "I don't even think they're coming here to campaign, because they know they're not going to be able to beat us," Trump said. "Nobody's done what we've done." Trump noted he's leading in the polls in Iowa and nationwide by at least 50 percentage points. But still, he said, "We don't want to take any chances. We'll be back." August 12: News Max: Tim Scott; I'm not buying any Biden Saudi Arabian deal Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) vowed Saturday that he won't back a new deal brokered by the Biden administration that would directly involve the U.S. in securing peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. "I have not and will not support the deals of this administration," Scott, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said about the deal. Reportedly, the Biden administration will soon propose to Congress an agreement that gives security and defense guarantees to Saudi Arabia if it is attacked. It would be the first such defense agreement given to a nondemocratic ally. August 12: Twitter: Tucker Carlson interviews former Chief of the Capitol Hill Police about Jan. 6th protests Tucker Carlson had an interview with Steven Sand, former Chief of the Capitol Hill Police, which would have aired on Fox News but wasn't because Carlson was fired before it was to run. In the interview on "Tucker on Twitter" Sa1q2rtyhujkl;./>,mnb cvxzA ;/">nd said he wasn't given access to the intelligence information indicating there was going to be a problem. In particular information was kept from him that the FBI expected 18-19 people it considered domestic terrorists to be in the crowd. The information was there but kept from the one person whose responsibility was to protect the U.S. Capitol; the person with boots on the ground. In order for him to get National Guard assistance he had to get the approval of then Speaker Nancy Pelosi though the House Sgt. At Arms. It took 71 minutes to get a response and when he contacted the Pentagon to send him the National Guard troops, he was told he couldn't have them because of the optics of troops descending on the Capitol. In the end, police units from New Jersey (over 170 miles away) arrived before the National Guard was released to assist. They were released to help after the protest was over. August 12: The Jerusalem Post: Ukrainians destroy, massive Russian tank on the battlefield A much-lauded Russian Terminator-2 tank appears to have been destroyed by a Ukrainian tank unit working alongside Ukrainian special forces on Saturday. A video posted to Telegram by the Ukrainian security service SBU appears to show the tank being destroyed and nearby soldiers fleeing the scene. The Russian tank is a powerful machine with serious battlefield potential. It is armed with four missile launchers, two autocannons, and two grenade launchers. Ukrainian officials wrote on telegram that the hit was carried out using "just a few hits of kamikaze drones". The officials then elaborated that an attempt was made by Russia to extricate the vehicle using another tank which was then totally destroyed by the Ukrainian Special Forces waiting nearby.  August 12: Fox News: Critics warn California bill to protect school officials would punish parents who speak out at school board meetings
California Democrats are advancing a bill that would expand state law criminalizing harassment of school officials, as more parents speak out against liberal policies at school board meetings across the state. The bill would expand the terms of an existing statute barring parents from disrupting classrooms and extracurricular activities where a school employee is present, to now include off-campus activities where employees are present, such as school board meetings. Parents would be subject to a misdemeanor charge, facing a $500-$1,000 fine and jail time of up to a year for causing "substantial disorder" at these meetings. The measure also expands the definition of "school employee" to "any employee or official of a school district, a charter school, a county office of education, a county board of education, the state board, or the State Department of Education." Some legal experts warned the bill was another attempt by Democrats in the state to restrict parental rights and free speech, as parents continue to push back on race and gender policies in their school districts. August 12: News Max: Trump in Iowa – a "tributed of love" from his supporters Former President Donald Trump, speaking at the Steer N' Stein at the Iowa State Fair Saturday along with a contingent of congressional supporters including Reps. Matt Gaetz, Byron Donalds, Greg Steube, and others said in his brief remarks that their comments were a "tribute of love" that he's experiencing nationwide. "No matter where we go, there's never been [more] enthusiasm," Trump said at the fair venue, where enthusiastic supporters crowded in and spilled onto the fairgrounds. "In 2016 we won. We did much better, I hate to say this, but we did much better in 2020… I will say 2020 was fantastic and 2016 was fantastic." Trump noted he's leading in the polls in Iowa and nationwide by at least 50 percentage points. But still, he said, "We don't want to take any chances. We'll be back." He also encouraged those listening to "stay strong" as there are "bad, bad people from within." August 11: Rasmussen Reports: Merrick Garland: More voter view Attorney General unfavorably Attorney General Merrick Garland continues to be unpopular with voters, who don't see him doing a better job than most of his predecessors. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 36% of likely U.S. voters have a favorable impression of Garland, including 18% who have a Very Favorable view of him. Forty-four percent (44%) now view Garland unfavorably – up from 42% in August 2022 – including 32% who have a Very Unfavorable impression of the attorney general. Another 21% are not sure. August 11: The Epoch Times: AG Garland appoints Weiss as special counsel to investigate Hunter Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday the appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) ongoing investigation of first son Hunter Biden. Doing so "consistent with the Department of Justice regulations governing such matters," Garland said. Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware, was asked to lead the department's investigation of Biden in February 2021. That investigation led to charges being filed against the first son in June, including two violations of failure to pay income tax and one violation of unlawful possession of a firearm. A plea agreement signed off on by Weiss wasn't approved by the Federal Judge overseeing the case and was considered by many to be a slap on the writs for Hunter Biden – likely resulting in no jail time. Weiss has claimed in communications with Congress that he had complete authority over the case, yet according to the testimony of two IRS whistleblowers, he was previously denied the special counsel status he requested. The IRS whistleblowers, who went public in recent months, also claimed political meddling in the DOJ's investigation of Mr. Biden's tax affairs. August 11: The Washington Examiner: Graham; Special Counsel appointment dumber than dirt, creates more questions than answers Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reacted to the news of Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing David Weiss as special counsel in the investigation into Hunter Biden. Weiss was the same person who allowed several of the potential cases to die because he allowed them to go so long that the statute of limitations kicked in. Graham called the announcement a "dumbest dumber-than-dirt political move" for its timing. Republicans in Congress have shared criticism over Weiss's authority in the investigation that appeared to limit him. Criticisms were based, at least in part, on testimony from two IRS whistleblowers who worked with the Department of Justice on the Biden case and believed that Weiss was not aggressively investigating the cases against Hunter Biden. Meanwhile Breitbart News reports Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said Weiss is "compromised and cannot be trusted." Stefanik, the House Republican Conference Chair, said, "This is absolutely unacceptable to the American people. David Weiss is compromised and cannot be trusted to conduct a fair investigation into Hunter Biden." "It was David Weiss who signed off on Hunter Biden's sweetheart plea deal that was so outrageous a federal judge threw it out," she observed, promising that House Republicans will "continue our constitutional duty of oversight, following the facts wherever they lead." Congressman James Comer (R-KY), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee added, "This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department's efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of the House Oversight Committee's mounting evidence of Joe Biden's role in his family's schemes selling 'the brand' for millions of dollars to foreign nationals." August 11: The Daily Caller: Garland's appointment of a special counsel may violate DOJ regulations U. S. Attorney David Weiss' appointment Friday as special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation appears to violate a Department of Justice (DOJ) regulation requiring a special counsel to "be selected from outside the United States Government." Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Weiss' appointment as special counsel Friday, noting he would "continue to have the authority and the responsibility that he has previously exercised" and explaining Weiss had requested to be appointed on Tuesday. The Justice Department regulation, which governs the powers and qualifications of a special counsel, was also used to criticize the 2020 appointment of John Durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe while he was serving as U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy called the appointment of Weiss a "sham," saying "the point of having a special counsel is to bring in someone from outside the government who we can trust to do a credible investigation."  August 10: The Texas Scorecard: 15 Texas Congressmen want to withhold DHS funding until they secure the boarder More than a dozen members of Texas' Republican Congressional delegation are asking their colleagues to withhold funding for the Department of Homeland Security because of the agency's failure to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico border. The effort is being led by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. They sent a letter to the full chamber detailing the severity of the crisis on the Texas-Mexico border in depth. Among the examples cited in the letter is the recent lawsuit filed against three Fort Worth-based illegal aliens for participating in a human smuggling ring. The letter also points to claims that criminal cartels have taken over the border, migrants are dying during their illegal travels, and the current border policies are leaving children more susceptible to the sex-trafficking trade. According to the lawmakers' letter, Gov. Greg Abbott has been forced to use Texas' limited resources to start solving a problem the federal government created. To put more pressure on the Biden administration, the lawmakers want Congress to invoke its "power of the purse" when the agency's funding expires this fall. August 10: Fox News: Biden admits, the inflation reduction act those little to reduce inflation Joe Biden admitted Thursday that Democrats' signature legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, wasn't actually reducing the then-record-high inflation facing the nation as he originally touted to the American people. "I wish I hadn't called it that. It has less to do with reducing inflation than it does providing for alternatives that generate economic growth," Biden said during an appearance at a campaign fundraiser in Park City, Utah. "And so, we're now in a situation where if you take a look at what we're doing in the Inflation Reduction Act, we're literally reducing the cost of people being able to make their — meet their basic needs," Biden alleged. "Even when there is inflation there is a way to provide breathing room," he contended. Biden's comments are a sharp turn from what he said in July 2022 ahead of the Inflation Reduction Act's passage through Congress on a party line vote. "The Inflation Reduction Act is the strongest bill you can pass. It will lower inflation, cut the deficit, reduce health care costs, tackle the climate crisis, and promote energy security," he said at the time. August 10: The Texas Scorecard: Colon, federal judge; Biden administration, blatantly disregarded first amendment A new court ruling says the Biden administration has disregarded the First Amendment, after pressing social media companies to censor conservative views. Federal Judge Terry Doughty of the Federal District Court of Louisiana issued a broad preliminary injunction barring the Biden administration and multiple federal agencies from communicating with social media companies about online content. Doughty ruled that the Biden administration's coercion of social media companies into online censorship blatantly violated the First Amendment. "The present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States history," wrote Doughty. Notably, the defendants in this case include the Biden administration, the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The lawsuit, filed by the Republican Attorney Generals of Missouri and Louisiana, accused the Biden administration of pressuring social media companies to heavily censor conservative views on the origins of COVID-19, government-ordered health measures, and election security. The plaintiffs argued that the White House essentially coerced social media companies into suppressing ideas and content disliked by the Biden administration. August 10: The Washington Examiner: Louisiana attorney; FBI engaged in deception with a Hunter Biden Laptop A leading attorney in Missouri v. Biden, the closely watched case about censorship practices, charged on Thursday during oral arguments that the FBI "engaged in deception" while working with social media companies in the lead-up to the 2020 election. John Sauer, special attorney general for the Louisiana Department of Justice, alleged to a three-judge panel for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the FBI's and the White House's apparent censorship attempts on several issues were "egregious" but that the FBI also sought to mislead social media companies about Hunter Biden's laptop. Sauer's remarks came in response to one of the judges, Edith Clement, asking him, "Was the activity of the FBI as egregious as the activity of the White House?" "They're different, and I believe they're both very egregious, but the FBI engaged in deception," Sauer began. He then explained how the FBI worked behind the scenes to handle the now-infamous New York Post story, published weeks ahead of the 2020 election, implicating then-candidate Joe Biden in his son's business dealings based on contents from the younger Biden's now widely authenticated laptop. August 9: The NY Post: Feinstein falls, back in hospital in San Francisco Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was forced to the hospital after tripping and falling Tuesday in her hometown of San Francisco, her office reported. "Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home," a spokesperson said. She apparently suffered "no serious injuries" from the tumble. The Senate is currently on recess and set to return Sept. 5. Feinstein, 90, was hospitalized earlier this year after a bout with shingles and was absent from the Senate for about three months before returning to the chamber. She is the oldest sitting lawmaker in either chamber of Congress. During her absence, Feinstein missed dozens of key votes and was blamed by some progressives for slowing the progress of Joe Biden's controversial picks for federal judgeships through the Senate Judiciary Committee.  August 9: The Daily Caller: House Oversight Committee releases bank records showing Bidens got millions of dollars from Russia and Ukraine oligarchs The House Oversight Committee released bank records Wednesday showing Hunter Biden took millions of dollars-worth of payments from Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh oligarchs. Hunter Biden received millions from Russian oligarch Elena Baturina, Ukrainian energy firm Burisma and Kazakh oligarch Kenes Rakishev when his father was vice president, the committee found. The committee has identified over $20 million in payments from foreign partners to the Biden family and their associates in what is being termed an influence peddling scheme. August 9: News Max: Congressman Gaetz; If Congress called Trump to testify with the promise of complete immunity from prosecution the indictments could be dead in the water Rep. Matt Gaetz,(R-FL) proffered an unusual tactic on Tuesday — call former President Donald Trump to testify as a whistleblower before any House panel and grant him immunity from the prosecution of special counsel Jack Smith. Gaetz floated the idea during an interview. Gaetz insisted that Congress, especially the GOP controlled House, has to "exert its equities" to combat what it believes to be the political persecution of Trump. One way to do that — call Trump as a witness. "You can actually bring President Trump in to give testimony to the Congress and in doing so, immunize him," Gaetz contended, adding there are layers of immunity but full immunity would require a supermajority vote of the House.
August 9: The Daily Caller: | |
| GO TO THE CHRONOLOGY OF NEWS COVERAGE JANUARY THROUGH JUNE 2023 |
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It's time to clean house and restore trust in our nation's institutions 
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Don't be fooled by the line being run by Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, acting as Biden defense attorney, that these phone calls and dinners with Hunter's benefactors were simply innocent interactions during which Joe talked about "the weather."
Senate makes good on promise to pass NDAA setting up possible contentious conference with the House 
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