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Information on the "IKE DIKE" Coastal Barrier October 15: The Daily Caller: Left wing members of VA School Board resign amid massive backlash from parents Beth Barts, a prominent left-wing member of the Loudoun County School Board, announced her resignation from her position in a Facebook post Friday. In March, Barts was at the center of the recall effort to remove six school board members, who were accused of being part of an anti-racist Facebook group that allegedly created lists of parents who opposed Critical Race Theory (CRT) or who called for the reopening of schools for in-person learning. Loudoun County residents called for Barts' job in an August petition, which accused her of violating state and local policies by holding illegal meetings through email and on Facebook groups, exposing confidential information from closed school board sessions and using her personal social media account to discuss official business in private Facebook groups. October 15: One America News Network: DeSantis: Biden is trying to plunge people into destitution over mandates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has taken aim at the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S. economy and coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, DeSantis derided Joe Biden's energy polices, warning he's veering away from making America energy independent. He said under President Donald Trump, America had a strong energy sector. But now, DeSantis said Biden is begging international organizations to lower the price of oil. DeSantis also reaffirmed he would not back down in his fight against the Biden administration's vaccine mandates. He claimed Biden's mandate, particularly the provisions forcing Medicaid and Medicare-linked hospitals and employers of more than 100 people to jab their staff, is illegal and unconstitutional. October 15: The Washington Times: Pelosi and Schumer see support from minorities and Blacks plummet Support among Black voters and other minorities for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer is plummeting. Between April and September, Black support for Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer dropped from 50% to 39%, according to Pew Research polling data. Support among Black voters for Congress' overall Democratic leadership skidded from 82% to 59% in that same time frame. October 14: One America News Network: FOIA'd documents show Attorney General Garland's son-in-law benefits from Critical Race Theory A new report suggested Joe Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland may have a conflict of interest over critical race theory. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by America First Legal has revealed Garland's daughter is married to Xan Tanner, who holds a top position at Panorama Education. The company he works for received $16 million from Facebook in 2017 to promote critical race theory and gender ideology programs in schools. This comes after Garland's Department of Justice suggested parents who oppose such teachings in public schools are engaging in "domestic terrorism." America First Legal said these ties raise ethical concerns in the DOJ to advance far-left propaganda for financial gain. "AG Garland ordered the DOJ to use its vast national security powers to target parents who object to critical race theory being forced onto innocent children. It is therefore exceptionally urgent that the Department disclose all records pertaining to the Garland family's financial interest in critical race theory and any and all ethical conflicts that arise from that financial interest," said Stephen Miller, America First Legal founder. October 14: The Washington Times: Far left Dems plan on purging moderates from the party because they opposed the Biden $3.5 Trillion spending bill The political impasse among Democrats over Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion social welfare and climate change bill has convinced liberals that the only way to advance their agenda is by purging moderates and taking over the party. Although some on the far left have long held this view, many say the intransigence of moderate Democrats on Biden's spending agenda has hardened their resolve. "A lot of activists and donors who never thought about primaries are now understanding that it really matters whether we have a corporate-aligned Democrat or a bold progressive in these seats," said Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. October 14: Breitbart News: Sinema (D-AZ) privately told Democrats she will not support the reconciliation bill before the infrastructure bill Despite the intense pressure campaign, Senator Sinema has reportedly told Democrats in the House that she will not support Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion plan prior to passing the waiting bipartisan infrastructure bill. "In an online meeting, Sinema and fellow Senate moderate Joe Manchin said they would not abide by any deadlines adopted by leadership to force votes on the package," it was reported. "Congress already faces a pair of critical deadlines around Dec. 3, when the government faces the risk of shutdown and a historic debt default." October 13: The Washington Examiner: Arizona senate liaison says there are more important findings from the forensic audit that should be forthcoming shortly Two and a half weeks after Cyber Ninjas and its subcontractors released their findings to the public, making headlines for showing no proof of fraud that former President Donald Trump and his allies claim to have cost him the November contest in Arizona, a member of the team said there are still results to produce. October 13: Fox News: Capitol police officer shot unarmed Babbitt on Jan. 6, internal documents reveal More than 500 pages of internal documents from DC Metropolitan Police concerning the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol on Jan. 6 reveal witness accounts stating she was not holding a weapon at the time of her death and how "upset" the officer was after shooting her. "These previously secret records show there was no good reason to shoot and kill Ashli Babbitt," stated Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, which obtained the documents through a May 2021 FOIA lawsuit. "The Biden-Garland Justice Department and the Pelosi Congress have much to answer for the over the mishandling and cover-up of this scandalous killing of an American citizen by the U.S. Capitol Police." October 13: We the people news: This is what civil disobedience looks like in the US There is a feeling of disquiet in the air in America. Our government thinks they get to determine if we have Thanksgiving or Christmas with our families. Our military has ended an American promise that no one is left behind by unilaterally leaving Afghanistan, deliberately leaving thousands of Americans and our allies behind. Millions of jobs are open, while millions remain on the unemployment rolls. The Biden Justice Department has declared that parents attending school board meetings are domestic violence threats. Airline schedules seem to be little more than wish lists as air traffic controllers and pilots are making individual protests against the Biden vaccine mandate which threatens the jobs of thousands of these trained professionals. . So what's happening here? It is a civil disobedience being put into action by those who contribute to modern civilization. When this happens through thousands of independent decisions by people in the transportation sector who no longer are willing to provide their consent to be governed, it causes major disruptions. In 2021 America, we are seeing people being threaten with losing their livelihood if they choose to not be vaccinated or refuse to show proof of vaccination. October 12: AG.com: Southwest Airlines CEO changes course; no employees will be fired for not getting vaccinated During an interview with ABC News, Gary Kelly, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, walked back an earlier decision and said no employees will be fired over the company's vaccine mandate. Originally he had said all 56,000 U.S. Southwest employees needed to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 24, or face termination. Kelly also said the vaccine mandate is "very controversial," and not something he wanted for his company. "This is a government mandate, it's a presidential order, and we're doing our best to comply with that according to the deadlines that have been set," Kelly said. October 12: The Epoch Times: Elected officials sue Oregon over gerrymandering A group of former Oregon elected officials filed a suit on Monday with the state court in an attempt to block the Democrats' new redistricting maps, which the GOP alleges violate the state's constitution. The plaintiffs include a former secretary of state, two legislators, and a mayor of a small town. Their lawsuit argues that the new map of 6 congressional districts, is a partisan gerrymander that favors Democrats and violates Oregon laws. "The Oregon Constitution also prohibits partisan gerrymandering through its multiple provisions protecting voters' rights to participate in the political process, express political view, affiliate or support a political party, and cast a vote," the petition filed with the court states. The Democrat majority in the Oregon legislature was able to push through the new maps in September, after the Oregon legislature's Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek, created a special committee tasked with drawing the lines for the new congressional districts. Governor Kate Brown, also a Democrat signed the new maps into law. October 12: One America News Network: White House targets Texas and Florida over policies prohibiting the mandating of getting vaccine The Biden administration has targeted the governors of Florida and Texas for banning questionable vaccine mandates in their states. On Tuesday, Biden's officials accused Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) of "putting politics ahead of public health" by outlawing vaccine mandates. The White House also attempted to stir up COVID-19 fears to justify its mandates. Earlier this week, Abbott signed an executive order banning forced vaccinations by any entity in Texas, while DeSantis made a similar decision. Biden believes that federal law trumps state laws. But wait a minute, doesn't the federal government (the United States) get its power and authority from the states? If we remember our history correctly it was the states that came together to create the federal government and to place restrictions on its authority. October 12: The Epoch Times: Missouri hospital warns of staff shortages if vaccines are mandated for healthcare workers The CEO of a hospital system in rural southeastern Missouri warned that Joe Biden'[s announced COVID-19 vaccine mandate for most healthcare workers could trigger significant staffing shortages. "Our reality is we need staff to work. And in return for your working, we're not going to ask you to get a vaccine mandate," Scotland County Hospital CEO Randy Tobler said. About 60% of his workers have taken the "jab," he estimated. "There were people in the hospital that freely shared that if the vaccine mandate happened on our account or on anyone else's, they would not work here. That's just something they weren't going to put in their body." Noting that he's lost about 18 percent of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tobler said he cannot afford to mandate vaccines that would alienate even more staff. The mandate, he said, won't make the nurses want to get vaccinated but will instead prompt them to quit. October 12: The Daily Caller: Top Dem from KY retiring as he faces tough reelection bid Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky, the chair of the House Budget Committee, announced Tuesday that he will forgo running for re-election. Yarmuth, first elected in 2007 and the only Democrat in Kentucky's congressional delegation, has been a central player in helping to craft President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar budget bill. His retirement comes just over a year before the 2022 midterms, a potentially difficult cycle for Democrats who seek to defend their slim House majority. "It's been an incredible journey since my first campaign in 2006 until now," Yarmuth said. "I will continue to fight for Louisville in Washington for another 15 months, and then, I will retire from Congress." In an accompanying video, Yarmuth, 73, said that he never planned to stay in Congress for more than 10 years and that he wanted to spend more time with his family. October 11: NewsMax: Poll; 56% of voters believe cheating tainted Biden's 2020 victory A majority of likely voters believe cheating tainted Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump in last year's election, a new Rasmussen Reports survey found. A total of 56% of respondents are convinced "it's likely that cheating affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election," the poll shows and that includes 41% who said it was "very likely" while 39% said it wasn't likely the election was affected by cheating. The latest results show a 5% increase. A whopping 84% of Republican voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that cheating affected the outcome of the November election. Unaffiliated voters (54%) and Democrats (32%) were less inclined to think that. The latest Rasmussen survey also found that 65% of likely voters believe that wider use of mail-in voting will lead to more cheating in elections, including 51% who say it's "very likely." Most Democrats (67%) think mail-voting becoming permanent is a good policy while 73% of Republicans and 53% of unaffiliated voters think permanent vote-by-mail is a bad policy. October 11: The Epoch Times: Texas Governor bans vaccine mandates by entities Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday issued an executive order that bans vaccine mandates "by any entity," including private employers, in the state. "The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced," Abbott said in a statement upon issuing the order. The order says "No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19." "I hereby suspend all relevant statutes to the extent necessary to enforce this prohibition," Abbott wrote in the order. He also added to the legislature's special session a request for legislation to codify his executive order. October 9: United Press International: U.S. 5th Circuit allows temporary resumption of the Texas "Heartbeat" law The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Friday temporarily allowed Texas' "Heartbeat" law – termed by pro-abortionists as the strictest in the nation -- to again be enforced after freezing an Obama appointed federal judge's temporary blocking of the law. The state appealed the order just two days after it was issued. A panel of 5th Circuit justices restored enforcement of the law hours after Texas asked the court to step into a lawsuit that the U.S. Justice Department filed against the state. Enforcement of the law will be allowed to continue until at least Tuesday, when a response from the Justice Department is due. After the court considers arguments from both sides, the court can decide whether to continue allowing enforcement of the law or allow a lower court to once again temporarily block it. October 9: Fox Business: Michigan Governor on the hot seat after Ford announces plans to open electronic vehicle plant in either Tennessee or Kentucky Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has come under fire recently after Ford announced it will open electric vehicle and battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky because Michigan didn't meet the criteria for the company's new campuses. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) said the decision "leaves a lot of questions." "Why was the governor not aware of Ford's desires to expand and build an EV plant that would provide, as we see right now, over [11,000] jobs?" Walberg asked. "How did this happen under Gov. Whitmer's watch, especially in a time when Michigan, because of lockdowns ... has been challenged economically, and we need to encourage people to stay in the state, to come to the state and expand in the state?" Ford CEO Jim Farley cited "unique sites" in Kentucky and Tennessee "that were large, shovel ready with many other advantages." "If a MI site had met our criteria, we know the state & DTE would have worked extremely hard to make a competitive bid," Farley said last month. October 9: One America News Network: WI group suing five mayors and cities for giving preferential voting to people likely to support Dems The Thomas Moore Society's attorney (Erick Kaardal) is suing five cities and their mayors for granting preferential voting treatment to voters in areas that typically vote Democrat verses other areas of the state that vote for Republicans. Kaardal contends that this is unequal treatment and is a violation of the Constitution. The Obama Administration won a case that said it is an infraction against the equal protecting laws when one subset of voters is favored over another, just like it is an infraction if one subset of voters is suppressed. Kaardal further contends that each of the mayors has violated not only the equal protection clause but also state law. October 9: Breitbart News: Biden to cancel federal border wall in Texas DHS plans to terminate all remaining border wall projects in the Border Patrol Laredo and Rio Grande sectors of Texas. The projects have been paused since January as directed by Joe Biden. The decision brings finality to all the remaining border wall projects in South Texas as Texas considers erecting its own fences. In the Friday announcement, DHS said it will begin initial preparations to conduct environmental site work and stakeholder outreach on other Congressionally approved border wall projects that the administration cannot cancel unilaterally. The administration promises not to construct any new border barrier systems or execute permanent land acquisition related to these projects. October 9: The Washington Examiner: Pilot's union to American Airlines; reconsider you decision to fire unvaccinated employees — could impact ability to offer flights The union representing pilots for American Airlines warned the company could face a staffing shortage ahead of the busy holiday travel season if it implements a stringent COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Allied Pilots Association requested that American Airlines find "alternate means of compliance with the Executive Order be made available for professional pilots" so as not to prompt mass firings and unpaid leave following Joe Biden's September announcement mandating large employers to require vaccinations or weekly testing. October 8: The Daily Caller: U.S. Coast Guard's elite rescue teams face mass exodus over COVID-19 mandate One of the most exclusive units of the United States Armed Forces is at risk of facing a mass exodus over the DHS COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a recently-retired member said. At least 60 of the Coast Guard's 340 elite Aviation Survival Technicians – better known as helicopter rescue swimmers – are seeking exemptions from the vaccine mandate, retired rescue swimmer David Kroll contended in an exclusive interview. The Coast Guard is already short on rescue swimmers, Kroll said, and a loss of dozens more would threaten the effectiveness and stability of the force. He said the Coast Guard is already at least 20-30 swimmers short of where it would like to be, and ideally would have about 380 active swimmers. Additionally, there are at least 30 of the Coast Guard's 800 rescue pilots who are seeking exemptions. It is unclear whether they will be granted exemptions and, if so, in a timely manner. October 8: CNN: Joe Manchin (D-WVA) who brokered the debt limit deal with Republicans holds his head in his hands in dismay as Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blasts GOP THE BUSINESS INSIDER: MANCHIN JOINED WITH SENATE REPUUBLICANS IN CONDEMING SCHUMER'S "CLASSLESS SPEECH" BEFORE SENATE DEBATES DEBT LIMIT VOTE Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVA) sided with Senate Republicans in strongly disapproving of a fiery, partisan speech by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Thursday night before a vote to raise the debt ceiling by $480 billion. Schumer, seemingly unable to be grateful for the help of eleven Republicans, lashed out with such vitriol that it took both Democrats and Republicans by surprise. The eleven GOP senators voted to increase the debt ceiling by an amount certain for two months, thereby giving the Democrats an additional window of opportunity to work out a bipartisan compromise. Apparently, the Senate Democrat leader is not willing to take the high road which may come back to bite him in the long run. October 8: The Daily Signal: AG Garland's threatening memo comes with some serious conflicts of interest; family members may profit from his threats Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a threatening memo on Monday calling on the FBI to address "violent threats against school officials and teachers." It was an obvious shot at parents who oppose schools and school boards that promote woke ideology and critical race theory in classrooms that exploded this year. Not being widely reported is that Garland's son-in-law is the co-founder of Panorama Education, a company that works with school boards to promote "culturally responsive training" and other ideas associated with critical race theory. According to a non-profit education watchdog group Panorama received a $1.8 million contract to conduct "social and emotional learning" monitoring in Fairfax County Public Schools that collected data on students. Fairfax County has been a battleground for debates between parents and the local school board on issues such as teaching Critical Race Theory. Note the last word "Theory," which means it is an idea and not proven. Garland's memo was released with no actual evidence of crimes committed, only vague references to a "rise in criminal conduct." If anything, there have been more cases of those promoting critical race theory who've made public threats. In July, Michelle Leete, vice president of communications for the Virginia state PTA and first vice president of the Fairfax County NAACP yelled out to a pro-critical race theory crowd that opponents of their ideas should "die." Let them die. Don't let these uncomfortable people deter us from our bold march forward. However, this rhetoric was met with applause and not a hit of a federal investigation! The Garland memo solidifies the trend of weaponizing agencies to target and threaten political foes. It's a tactic that was used under Joe Biden's former boss (Obama). October 8: The Washington Free Beacon: VA Dem. Gubernatorial candidate received $200K donation from a registered foreign agent Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe raked in a $200,000 donation from a registered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates, according to campaign finance and lobbying disclosure records. [It is illegal to receive and use funds from foreign nationals.] The August donation came from Terakeet, a digital marketing firm that specializes in search engine optimization cofounded by a McAuliffe adviser. The company registered as a foreign agent for the UAE last year as part of a larger campaign to rehabilitate the country's image. Activist groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have accused the country of committing war crimes and targeting civilians in airstrikes while leading a military coalition with Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The Terakeet donation comes as McAuliffe's links to foreign money and lobbying activities are under increased scrutiny. It was reported last week that McAuliffe recently a $350,000 contribution from a company owned by a Sri Lankan-British national—whose businesses are at the center of a money laundering case in France—in a potential violation of federal campaign finance laws. October 7: One American News Network: McConnell's debt limit compromise accepted by Dems; pushes can down the road until early December Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced an agreement on the debt ceiling. While speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, the New York lawmaker confirmed a deal has been reached to extend the limit through early December. He hopes they can "get this done" as early as Thursday. The agreement would increase the debt limit by $480 billion, which is what the Treasury Department has said is the amount needed to fund existing debt. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) proposed the "fixed dollar amount" extension on Wednesday. The Kentucky lawmaker said Democrats would still need to use reconciliation for a long-term hike unless they abandon their "reckless" spending plans. October 7: Fox News: McConnell tells Biden the GOP will not vote again to pull their fat out of the fire Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has informed Joe Biden that he, along with other Republican senators, will not vote to raise the debt ceiling in December should Democrats face "another 'avoidable' crisis." "Last night, Republicans filled the leadership vacuum that has troubled the Senate since January," McConnell said in a letter to Biden, referencing the vote taken to increase and extend the debt limit through early December, in which eleven GOP senators voted in favor. "I write to inform you that I will not provide such assistance again if your all-Democrat government drifts into another avoidable crisis." Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) had "three months' notice to handle one of his most basic governing duties," McConnell wrote. "Amazingly, even this proved to be asking too much [for them]," McConnell concluded. "Your lieutenants on Capitol Hill now have the time they claimed they lacked to address the debt ceiling through standalone reconciliation, and all the tools to do it," he continued. "They cannot invent another crisis and ask for my help." October 7: The Washington Times: Biden "painted into a corner" as "get tough" policy with Russia falls flat on its face A bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to force the White House to expel hundreds of Russian diplomats has backed President Biden into a corner, fueling doubts about his promise to get tough on the Kremlin and raising questions about whether the U.S. has squandered leverage to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lawmakers are pressing Biden to retaliate diplomatically after Russia virtually banned the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from hiring Russian and third-country employees, forcing the American outpost to let go of more than 180 staffers. The unusually aggressive step underscored how far relations between the Cold War adversaries have fallen. The lack of a strong response from Washington has given fresh fuel to critics who say Mr. Biden hasn't kept his campaign promise to crack down on Mr. Putin and dissuade Moscow from needling the U.S. whenever and wherever possible. Democrats in the 2020 campaign sharply criticized President Trump for what they said were repeated failures to hold Mr. Putin to account. October 7: Fox News: VA School Board sues parents for receiving documents they mistakenly released under a FOIA request A Virginia school board is suing two mothers, arguing that documents "inadvertently and mistakenly" released through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared online included confidential information. The Goldwater Institute on Thursday filed a motion with a Virginia judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Fairfax County School Board against Debra Tisler, who obtained documents from the board through a Freedom of Information Act request, and Callie Oettinger, who shared the redacted documents on her website. October 7: Fox News: Be careful what you say, it may come back to bite you! Dems supporting the defund police movement try to back away from their support A new video dropped by the Republican National Committee (RNC) highlights Democrat officials' support for defunding the police as the Democrat Party tries to back away from the idea. The RNC took aim at prominent Democrat lawmakers ranging from "Squad" leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) publishing 7 straight minutes of Democrats echoing talking points of the "defund the police" movement. One example: "…only by completely dismantling that system and rebuilding it intentionally with the community members at the table do you have any hope of getting it right," said Beto O'Rouke (D-TX). The new video, entitled "7 Minutes of Democrats Saying Defund The Police," comes as the Democrats desperately try to move away from the rhetoric as crime spikes around the country. The party's attempts to distance themselves from the defund the police movement, however, were put in further jeopardy after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) hired new top employees with a history of pushing defund the police rhetoric. October 7: The Epoch Times: VA judge hands victory to parents seeking to recall school board members A Virginia-based parent group attempting to oust five Loudoun County School Board members was given a win after a Loudoun County Circuit Court judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the organization's recall petition against a board member who sought to dismiss it. On Tuesday, a judge denied Loudoun County school board member Beth Barts' motion to dismiss the case and also removed Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney Buta Biberaj from the case. The group Fight For Schools and others have alleged that Barts was involved in a private Facebook group that violated the School Board's Code of Conduct and other laws after members allegedly tried to attempt to reveal private information about parents and opponents. Ian Prior, who is involved in the charge to remove Barts from the school board, said he is pleased with the judge's decision on Tuesday. October 6: The Epoch Times: McConnell offers to help Democrats suspend the debt limit (at a fixed amount and without progressive's additions) through December, giving Dems plenty of time to act in a bipartisan manner Senate Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday proposed a deal with Democrats that would help them suspend the debt ceiling before the United States defaults. McConnell in a statement said Republicans would help Democrats expedite the process known as reconciliation to address the debt limit. He also said the GOP would let Democrats pass an emergency debt limit extension at a fixed dollar amount, which would cover current spending levels into December. "This will moot Democrats' excuses about the time crunch they created and give the unified Democratic government more than enough time to pass standalone debt limit legislation through reconciliation," he said. "Alternatively, if Democrats abandon their efforts to ram through another historically reckless taxing and spending spree that will hurt families and help China, a more traditional bipartisan governing conversation could be possible." October 6: News Max: Billionaire donates 98% of cost of border wall for Texas Billionaire Timothy Mellon has contributed nearly 98% of the donations to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's $54 million border wall fund, The Texas Tribune reported on Wednesday. Mellon, who is based in Wyoming and the grandson of banking tycoon and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, donated $53.1 million in stock to Texas in August, according to public records. Before Mellon's donation, Abbott's private fundraising campaign, which started in June, had raised only about $1.25 million in its first two months. October 6: The Epoch Times: Households brace for higher heating costs as gas prices soar – Part of Biden plan to move to renewable energy? The relentless rise in natural gas prices continued on Wednesday, highlighting the looming threat to American households bracing for higher heating costs in the event of a harsh winter. In October natural gas prices have gone up over 9% reaching their highest level since 2008. This is still better than Europe and Asia where prices have more than tripled this year. The problem, apparently, is not the lack of natural gas in the U.S. [the U.S. has plenty] but decisions by the Administration to limit the reliance on fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy. Storage of gas in Russia is low, in part because of the arrival of an early winter; thereby draining resources. In some cases, factories in continental Europe have shutdown with reverberations in food production in the United Kingdom. October 5: The Daily Caller: Senators pepper Deputy AG about how DOJ views American parents who protest at school board meetings Senators repeatedly questioned Deputy Attorney General (AG) Lisa Monaco about a memorandum written by AG Merrick Garland regarding law enforcement responses to alleged harassment toward public education officials. Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) repeatedly quizzed Monaco about the memo, which was sent to law enforcement officers and district attorneys Monday night. Garland wrote that the Justice Department "is committed to using its authority and resources to discourage … harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff." The Senators asked if DOJ was suggesting that parents protesting at school board meetings that their kids were being indoctrinated and that school boards called recesses in their meetings because they were confronted by parents fit within the AG's definition of harassment and intimidation. October 5: Fox Business: Manchin (D-WVA) softening his position, may be willing to spend more than $1.5 Trillion Senator Joe Manchin, said Tuesday he is open to a social spending bill larger than $1.5 trillion, signaling the possibility that the moderate Democrat could soften his stance on the topline number following days of tense negotiations on President Biden's signature piece of legislation. "I'm not ruling anything out, but the bottom line is, I want to make sure that we're strategic, we do the right job and we don't basically add more to the concerns that we have right now," Manchin told reporters. October 5: Fox News: Senator's wife angry that those who have harassed her and her husband face no charges while Kelley Paul, wife of Ron Paul slammed the lack of accountability faced by mobs and violent thugs who have threatened her family. She tweeted about the time a "Republican-hating woman" called Sen. Paul's office, threatening to shoot his entire staff and, she just learned, the perp will not be charged. She also noted that nobody is being charged for when she an her husband were attacked by a mob as they made their way back to a hotel after attending an acceptance speech by President Trump at the White House. She noted further that neither did anyone face charges for fake anthrax and death threats being sent to their home, she said. But now, she continued, people who "express indignation at a school board meeting" about Critical Race Theory or mask mandates will be the target of the Biden administration. No wonder Kelly Paul is angry! October 5: The Washington Times: Because the GOP won't help the Dems get rid of the debt ceiling, Schumer is considering getting rid of the filibuster Seasoned Democrats warned former Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that it was unwise to get rid of the availability to filibuster judicial appointments. He didn't listen, and it came back to bite them when the Republicans took control of the Senate. As a result President Trump had little problem getting his judicial appointment approved. Now, since the Republicans are saying they are not going to help the Democrats increase, or get rid of, the debt ceiling, they are considering following in Harry Reid's footsteps. At the center of the controversy is that the Dems want to spend, spend, spend trillions upon trillions of dollars and the Republicans are saying you've spent enough! A few lawmakers propose a change in the Senate rules specifying that the filibuster, a 60-vote threshold needed to cut off debate on a piece of legislation, does not apply to the debt ceiling. Instead, Democrats say, any rise in the debt ceiling should require only a simple majority of 51 votes. For such a carve out to be enacted all 50 Senate Democrats would need to back the change. At the moment, the proposal has only garnered the backing of a handful of lawmakers. October 4: One America News Network: Debt ceiling and battle over what will happen with the U.S. economy heats up The debate has heated up in the upper chamber as senators from both sides sparred over the debt ceiling. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took aim at each another amid the battle over who had control over the U.S. economy. Schumer pointed his finger at Republicans blaming them for the legislature's in ability to fund the government at the start of the fiscal year (October 1st). He went on to threaten and then blame the GOP for stopping social security and veteran payments. [Every notice how the Dems threaten and make this a political tool when they cannot get their own way?] However, McConnell pointed out Democrats were having a tough time passing their agenda, despite controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House. "This unified Democratic government is having trouble governing. It couldn't even pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which the president negotiated and the Speaker of the House promised it would pass last week," he expressed. "The majority needs to stop sleepwalking toward yet another preventable crisis. Democrats need to tackle the debt limit. We gave them a roadmap and three months' notice. I suggest that our colleagues get moving." McConnell suggested. October 4: Fox News: DOJ launching campaign to bully and threaten parents speaking out to school boards that aren't listening The Department of Justice (DOJ) is launching an effort to combat what it said is an "increase" in "threats of violence" against school officials and teachers across the country. The effort is being led by Attorney General Garland who is ignoring the rights of parents to testify and speak out about issues impacting their children and their children's education. In doing so he has directed the FBI and U.S. attorney's offices to hold meetings with federal, state and local law enforcement leaders in the next 30 days, during which they will discuss ways to combat what the DOJ called a "disturbing trend" of harassment and threats against school officials. Critics point out he is forgetting the first amendment that prohibits the federal government from restricting citizen's rights "to petition the Government for the redress of grievances." [Thank God this guy never made it to the Supreme Court bench!] They say that Garland and the Biden Administration is attempting to bully parents. The DOJ will also be launching a task force aimed at addressing the issue, while attempting to determine how the federal government could use its powers to prosecute crimes and to assist local law enforcement in incidents that are not federal crimes. Specialized training will also be made available for local school boards and administrators to assist them in recognizing behaviors that constitute a threat, as well as helping them report the incidents to appropriate law enforcement agencies while preserving evidence to assist in the prosecution of crimes. October 4: Fox News: Liberals and progressives confront and threaten an Arizona Senator in an attempt to harass and bully her into voting the way they want Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) was confronted at an airport, in a restroom, and on an airplane by progressives who demanded to know why she is refusing to support a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens and Biden's $3.5 trillion socialistic wish list (the budget reconciliation bill that is packed with substantive policy issues as opposed to only items that impact the budget). October 3: Fox News: McConnell accuses Dem leadership of letting the left wing of their party defeat a bipartisan infrastructure bill Senate Republican Leader McConnell (R-KY) on Saturday accused Democratic leadership of "letting the radical left run Capitol Hill" after a bipartisan infrastructure bill stalled in the House amid demands from the far-left wing of the Democratic caucus that a $3.5 trillion spending package be passed first. "Socialists like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) rallied against the Administration's infrastructure bill and defeated it. With Americans already suffering the worst inflation in 30 years, Democrats have taken our roads, bridges, ports, airports, and waterways hostage to ram through an historically reckless taxing and spending spree that would hurt families and help China," McConnell said. The vote on the bipartisan legislation in the House, which had previously passed the Senate, was delayed on Friday after the progressive wing of the Democratic caucus refused to back the bill until the separate reconciliation bill -- packed with left-wing agenda items on issues like the social safety net and tackling climate change -- was passed. October 2: One America News Network: Taiwan angered by Communist Chinese air force incursions Taiwan sharply criticized China on Saturday after Beijing marked the founding of the People's Republic of China with the largest ever incursion by the Chinese air force into the island's air defense zone. Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China's air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defense zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Taiwanese fighters scrambled against 38 Chinese aircraft in two waves on Friday, the Taiwan Defense Ministry said. It said Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them. "China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday morning. The first wave of incursions comprised 18 J-16 and four Su-30 fighter jets plus two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and an anti-submarine aircraft, while the second had 10 J-16s, 2 H-6s and an early warning aircraft, the ministry said. The first batch of Chinese aircraft all flew in an area close to the Pratas Islands, with the two bombers flying closest to the atoll, according to a map issued by the ministry. October 1: Fox News: Sotomayer of SCOTUS denies NYC teachers' plea to block vaccine mandate SCOTUS Justice Sonia Sotomayor refused to block a New York City requirement mandating that public school teachers and employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Sotomayor, appointed to the court by President Obama in 2009, denied a challenge from New York City teachers who were attempting to halt a mandate instructing them to be vaccinated by the end of the day October 1 or be placed on unpaid leave until September 2022. October 1: Breitbart News: Biden Desperate; To House Democrats; vote for trillions in spending or the January 6th "rioters" win Joe Biden has sought to motivate Democrats on Capitol Hill to vote for his multi-trillion-dollar spending bills by warning them that if the bills fail, those who supported the Capitol "riot" on January 6th will celebrate a political victory. One bill is a bipartisan $1.2 trillion "infrastructure" bill (most of which doesn't targets traditional infrastructure). The other is a $3.5 trillion catch-all spending bill that includes Democrats' most radical priorities, and which Biden has recently linked to his "Build Back Better" policy agenda. It can only pass the Senate through the so-called "reconciliation" process, which has been abused by recent Democratic administrations to evade the Senate's filibuster rule. Biden, who recently appointed an alleged domestic terrorist to his Cabinet with the conformation of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday, referred to the January 6 riot in private meetings with Democrats. September 30: The Washington Times: Pelosi delays $1.2 Trillion infrastructure bill for second time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) threw in the towel on getting the Thursday floor vote that she had hoped would deliver a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to Joe Biden. In a "Dear Colleague" letter, Pelosi acknowledged that "Discussions continue with the House, Senate and White House to reach a bicameral framework agreement to Build Back Better through a reconciliation bill." The bill, which Pelosi originally planned to bring to the floor Monday but moved to Thursday, could not attract enough support from Congressional progressives, who demanded the legislation be paired with Mr. Biden's $3.5 trillion social welfare package. September 30: Fox News: California Governor signs "reform" bill opposed by law enforcement California Gov. Newsom signed a series of police reform bills Thursday to address so-called law enforcement misconduct. The law would strip officers of their badges for a range of incidents, among other measures. During his remarks, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said there is a "crisis of trust" when it comes to law enforcement. "We're delivering concrete solutions from banning dangerous holds that lead to asphyxia to multiple other mechanisms that improve accountability and oversight and transparency," he said. But more than three dozen groups representing police officers opposed the legislation, claiming it subjects law enforcement officers to double jeopardy with vague definitions of wrongdoing and calls for the use of an oversight panel that would potentially be biased and lacking in expertise about law enforcement. [Stand by; what are the chances that because of this law police officers will retire early or seek employment in other states? Time will tell.] September 30: The Epoch Times: Voters in Seattle get to decide whether socialist councilwoman is to remain in office The effort to recall Seattle Councilwoman Kshama Sawant is set to be certified. "There's a sufficient number of signatures" for the recall petition to be certified, Kendall Hodson, chief of staff for King County Elections reported Thursday. Election workers were working on finalizing details of the petition but had already confirmed 105 percent of the signature threshold in preparation for any court challenges. Critics say she should be recalled because she misused resources to promote a ballot initiative last year and allegedly misused her position when she let hundreds of people into City Hall after hours. They also say she violated the state's confidential program by leading a march to the home of Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat. Washington state's Constitution allows recalls for an official who "has committed some act or acts of malfeasance or misfeasance while in office, or who has violated their oath of office." A King County judge said last year that four of the six allegations outlined by recall organizers were legally sufficient and a subsequent appeal to the Washington state Supreme Court was rejected. September 30: The Daily Caller:GOP points out marriage penalties in Democrat spending bill Over thirty GOP senators criticized the Democrats' reconciliation bill Thursday for including "marriage penalties" in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden. "Current marriage penalties occur when a household's overall tax bill increases due to a couple marrying and filing taxes jointly," the letter explained. "A number of other federal programs, such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, ad Section 8 housing assistance, also create marriage penalties by eliminating or reducing benefits for couples who marry," they said. The letter explains that the reconciliation bill could nearly double the $1,578 "marriage penalty" for a couple. If, for example, one spouse earns $12,000 and while another earns $30,000, additional taxes imposed on the hypothetical couple for getting married would consume more than 6% of their annual earnings, the letter stated. September 29: The Epoch Times: Dem. Gubernatorial candidate says parents shouldn't have a voice in what public schools teach Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe argued that parents should not tell schools what to teach, during the final debate before the upcoming Nov. 2 election. The remark by McAuliffe, who served as governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018, came after Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin said he believes that parents should be given more say in the decisions of local school districts, including what kind of books their children are exposed to at school. "What we've seen over the course of this last 20 months is our school systems refusing to engage with parents," Youngkin said. "In fact, in Fairfax County this past week, we watched parents so upset because there was such sexually explicit material in the library they had never seen, it was shocking." This issue comes as some school boards are limiting access to their meetings and the Department of Justice is suggesting the FBI should be looking at the behavior of parents in school board meetings and whether any laws are being violated. September 29: Fox Business: Manchin stares down Biden, Democrat leaders, declaring he will not support trillions in spending Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVA) said Wednesday that he would not support "spending trillions more" on social programs, highlighting an ongoing dispute between the moderate Democrat and party leaders that threatens to derail negotiations on President Biden's $3.5 trillion spending bill. In a lengthy statement on the negotiations, Manchin said he has "made clear to [Joe Biden} and Democratic leaders" that it would be the "definition of fiscal insanity" to greenlight more spending despite funding shortages for social security and Medicare. Manchin also cited concerns about the potential impact to inflation and the shaky U.S. economic recovery. "While I am hopeful that common ground can be found that would result in another historic investment in our nation, I cannot – and will not - support trillions in spending or an all or nothing approach that ignores the brutal fiscal reality our nation faces," Manchin said. "There is a better way and I believe we can find it if we are willing to continue to negotiate in good faith." September 29: Breitbart News: Meanwhile the House is in disarray with progressive Democrats saying they will not support the infrastructure bill; Thursday's vote may be pulled Two Democrat Senators who are familiar with the House negotiations on the so called infrastructure bill claim there may not be enough votes for the House to pass the bill without an Republican support, even though the Democrats control the chamber. One source said there are "at least two-dozen progressives planning to vote 'no' on infrastructure without a separate vote on a larger social spending package." It looks like Speaker Pelosi will pull the bill instead of having it fail to pass due to a lack of support within her own caucus. Doing so will gut Joe Biden's so called "Build Back Better" agenda. September 29: The Washington Examiner: Biden underwater in two polls in North Carolina and Texas Joe Biden's plummeting approval rating is no secret, but the extent to which people have soured on his presidency is notable and worth keeping in mind when the 2022 midterm elections roll around. Two separate polls detail just how poorly Biden is performing. A Quinnipiac poll of Texans found that Biden's approval has dropped 24 points since June, down to 32%, with his disapproval growing to 61%. In other words, his net approval there went from -5 to -29. Meanwhile, a North Carolina poll from High Point University shows Biden 10 points underwater among adults. Biden only lost North Carolina in 2020 by a 49.9%-48.6% margin. September 28: The Washington Examiner: White House confirms Biden turned down advice from the military on how to evacuate Afghanistan White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Tuesday that Joe Biden turned down advice from two of his top military advisers about keeping military assets in Afghanistan during the U.S. troop withdrawal in August. "As [Joe Biden] told ABC, ending the war in Afghanistan was in our national interest," Psaki tweeted. "He said advice was split, but consensus of top military advisors was 2500 troops staying meant escalation due to deal by the previous admin. [Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin], the Chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley], and [U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie] all reiterated." Psaki declined to elaborate on the "private conversations" Joe Biden had with his advisers but reiterated that "regardless of the advice, it's his decision. … He makes decisions about that what's in the national interest, and he believed we should end the war." [Regardless of the consequences, such as leaving Americans behind enemy lines and leaving state of the art military hardware in the hands of the Taliban?] September 28: The Daily Caller: Senator Cotton to SecDef and Joint Chief: Were you asked about keeping troops in Afghanistan; were your recommendations heeded; and if not, why didn't you resign? Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) the Secretary of Defense Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Milley about whether Joe Biden had been advised about the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Within the limited time allotted, Cotton said, "It's a simple question, Secretary Austin. He [Joe Biden] said no senior military leader advised him to leave small troop presence behind. Is that true or not? Did these officers' and Gen. Milley's recommendations get to the president personally?" "Their input was received by the president and considered by the president for sure," Austin insisted. Then turning to Gen. Milley, Cotton said, "Gen. Milley, I can only conclude that your advice about staying in Afghanistan was rejected. I'm shocked to learn that your advice wasn't sought until August 25 on staying past the August 31 deadline," Continuing, Cotton said. "I understand that you're the principal military adviser, that you advise, you don't decide, the president decides. If all of this is true, Gen. Milley, why haven't you resigned?" September 28: The Epoch Times: Florida sues Biden over release of illegal aliens in their state The Biden administration's repeated release of illegal immigrants has drawn a legal challenge from Florida's Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody who has sued the federal government over its "catch-and-release" policy, which has led to the freeing of over 225,000 illegal immigrants this year. The suit primarily concerns the treatment of immigrants seeking asylum, which is granted in cases where authorities rule they have a legitimate fear of persecution based on their race, religion, or several other reasons. The law requires the government to "detain the asylum seekers" until authorities rule on their case. But Biden has released at least 225,000 illegal immigrants, including asylum seekers, so far, according to Customs and Border Protection data. "Releasing this many arriving aliens into the interior necessarily means that the government is violating congressional commands in the immigration laws," the law suit states. September 28: The Washington Times: New York Governor: COVID-19 shots are from God! Really? New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) told a Brooklyn megachurch that vaccines against the COVID-19 virus come "from God to us," and appealed for "apostles" to spread the word among "less-smart" vaccine skeptics who she claimed are ignoring God. Speaking at the Christian Cultural Center, Hochul declared, "I prayed a lot to God during this time. God did answer our prayers. He made the smartest men and women, the scientists, the doctors, the researchers, He made them come up with a vaccine that is from God to us." "I know you're vaccinated, you're the smart ones," she continued. "But you know there are people out there who aren't listening to God, [to] what God wants. You know this! You know who they are," she continued. "I need you to be my apostles, I need you to go out and talk about it, and say, 'We owe this to each other,'" she concluded. [Regardless of how you feel about vaccines, whatever happened to people praying and asking the Lord what is best for them, personally, and then letting them make their own decision, without being pressured as to what should be put into their body?] September 27: The Daily Caller: Biden arguments before the SCOTUS On Nov. 3, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on a landmark Second Amendment case challenging New York's century-old law making it next-to impossible for the average citizen to obtain a permit to lawfully possess a handgun outside their home. The Biden administration last week filed a brief urging the High Court to dismiss the challenge to the law. One could conclude from the Administration's argument (which some say is absurd and laughable) that the United States is a nation founded on firearms restrictions rather than firearms freedom. Moreover, the DOJ lawyers are declaring that New York's highly prohibitory handgun permitting law is "most modest"! To this Justice Department, giving state bureaucrats near-absolute power to decide whether a law-abiding citizen may exercise his constitutionally guaranteed right to possess a handgun for self-defense "fits comfortably" within what the Department considers the long "history and tradition" of government regulation of weaponry. September 27: The Washington Free Beacon: Dems "inflate" resume ahead of critical Congressional race in Iowa During Christina Bohannan's (D-IA) brief political career has put her experience as an "environmental engineer" front and center. "As a law professor, an environmental engineer and a mother, I believe I have the skills, energy and passion that Iowa City needs at this critical point in time," she wrote in May 2020. The problem is that she left out that the extent of her environmental engineering career was when she served as an intern over twenty years ago. She worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protections, but the highest rank she received was that of "engineering intern." This really would not be a problem, except for the fact that Bohannan is highlighting her environmental engineering experience as a major reason voters should vote for her. September 27: One America News Network: Senator Scott (R-SC) says talks over police reform collapsed over the issue of defunding the police "When you tie funding losses [to police reform] you should expect an allergic reaction from me," Senator Tim Scott(R-SC) said on Face the Nation. "We have about a million dollars in grant money that goes to police. When you start to say, that in order to receive those dollars you must do A, B, and C… you lose eligibility for the two major pots of money… when you tell local law enforcement agencies that you are ineligible for money, that's defunding police." Scott said. "There's no other way to spin that," he contended. He concluded that if you want keep communities safe, you need to adequately fund the police. September 26: Fox Business: FedEx employees are Fed Up! Say they won't deliver to homes of Biden, Harris, and BLM supporters A former FedEx employee is out of a job after posting a rant on TikTok in which he vowed never to deliver packages to the homes of people who support, Joe Biden, Kamala Harria or Black Lives Matter. The employee posted a video while apparently seated in a FedEx delivery truck. "What's up TikTok," he said while wearing his FedEx uniform. "Just wanted to come on here and let all you know, [I]f you have a Joe Biden, Kamala …" Black Lives Matter flag I will not deliver your [package] "…I will bring that back to the station. And I'll keep doing that…" September 26: The Washington Examiner: Israeli soldiers kill at least four Hamas terrorists in gun battle Israeli troops killed at least four Hamas militants in gunfights on Sunday during raids against the terrorist group's cells in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli military officials. Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler said the country's forces were involved in a joint operation with the Shin Bet internal security agency and the Israel Border Police when they came under fire while carrying out arrests in the West Bank on Sunday. Shefler said the goal of the operation was to "stop a Hamas terrorist organization cell that is operating in Judea and Samaria with an intent to carry out terror attacks," referring to the West Bank by its biblical names. September 26: The Washington Times: DHS admits approving DACA applications in violation of court order Homeland Security's legal immigration agency has admitted to a judge that it approved new DACA applications despite the court's order halting that work. Tracy Renaud, who was acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time, said last week that it had just discovered two applications were approved as renewals, but in fact, they should have been treated as new applications and should have been blocked under Judge Andrew Hanen's July ruling. Those are in addition to nine other new applications found in late July that had been fully processed. September 25: One America News Network: Arizona election auditors disclose Maricopa county election databases were wiped clean the day before the audit was to start Cyber security contractors said an administrator account deleted the entire Maricopa County general election results the day before the audit began. Digital forensic auditors Ben Cotton and Doug Logan presented their findings to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann in Phoenix on Friday. In his technical analysis, CyFIR founder Ben Cotton maintained the EMS server was connected to the internet February 1 and SQL logs indicated election records were wiped that day right before two audits were due to begin on February 2. "Almost the same time exactly. Obviously, this requires an explanation," he contended. Cyber Ninjas founder Doug Logan confirmed this finding of the forensic audit. Logan went on to explained, "some individual went into an application and they chose specifically to run something that would clear all records in the system that was used to generate the official results, the day before an audit started." September 25: The Washington Times: Herschel Walker debuts pro-America campaign for the U.S. Senate U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker made his on-stage debut with former President Donald Trump on Saturday, embracing his pro-America agenda. Mr. Walker, an ex-NFL player who frequents Fox News, promoted unity and called on Georgians to reject narratives that say the country is racist. "Don't let the Left try to fool you with this racism thing, that this country is racist, this is the worst country in the world because it's not," Mr. Walker, who is Black, said in his speech. September 25: The Washington Examiner: VA Governor's race heating up, harbinger for mid-term elections Republican Glenn Youngkin is surging in the Virginia governor's race as Joe Biden's job approval ratings tumble, forecasting a brutal 2022 for Democrats across the country absent a major political turnaround. Youngkin, a private equity investor, and former Gov. McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee, are neck and neck in Virginia in recent polling six weeks before Election Day. Youngkin actually led by 5 percentage points in one mid-September survey, and Republican insiders privy to private polling said the data was not far off from what they are seeing in other internal assessments. Simultaneously, Biden's job approval ratings are now underwater , especially among crucial independent voters. To be sure, there are several factors influencing the Youngkin-McAuliffe campaign. But Republicans say their ace in the hole is Biden's newly precarious standing, and that is what should concern Democrats elsewhere. A Republican victory in Virginia, a Democratic-leaning state where Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by more than 10 points just one year ago, would be a political earthquake, setting the tone for major GOP gains in next year's midterm elections. September 24: The Epoch Times: Arizona election audit confirms Biden win but says there are tens of thousands of votes that cannot be verified with only a 9,000 vote margin of victory A report from auditors who reviewed Arizona's most populous county's 2020 election results confirmed that Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump but said there were numerous errors, adding that local election officials refused to comply with their investigation and that there were tens of thousands of votes that could not be verified because of local officials lack of cooperation with the audit. Senate President Karen Fann said the results of the hand count audit were similar to the original election results, but stressed statutes were violated and the chain of command wasn't followed. "I'm very disappointed to see that Maricopa County refused to cooperate with us," Fann noted "Not only did they not cooperate with us, they even went so far as to sue us. The auditors said Maricopa officials were not cooperative and said their actions prevented a total audit of the election results from being carried out. In a related report by Dan Bongino he talks about what this means, he said, if your bathroom scale adds ten pounds to your true weight and it does so for everybody then it is "reliable" because it does it the same for all who use it. But it isn't a "valid" result as to how much you actually weigh. Bongino contends that the hand count of the votes in Maricopa County is "reliable" but because of the stonewalling and withholding of access to the electronic data by county officials and questions about how tens of thousands were received and counted raises the question about the "validity" of the vote count. September 24: Fox News: FBI investigating assault on US female service member by Afghan refugees at Fort Bliss, TX FBI officials confirmed an investigation is underway into an alleged attack of a female U.S. military service member by a "small group of male [Afghan] evacuees." being housed at Fort Bliss. The alleged attack took place on September 19th in a housing complex in New Mexico. Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (R-NM) who represents New Mexico's 2nd congressional district, called the news a "vetting failure." "My prayers are with the courageous soldier and her family. This is yet another tragic failure in the vetting process for Afghan nationals," Herrell tweeted. "The American people deserve answers." The incident comes on the heels of two Afghan refugees being charged with federal crimes at a Wisconsin military base. September 24: The Daily Caller: No whipping of Hatians by Border Patrol, video confirms An Associated Press reporter who was at the border when the now virial report was made has confirmed that nobody was whipped and that, instead, the "whips" were in fact long reins on the border patrol officer's horse. Democrats and corporate media outlets have been reporting since Monday that border patrol agents were whipping Haitian migrants at the southern border, after video and pictures emerged of agents riding on horseback with seemingly long reins. Kamala Harris, Tuesday, condemned what she termed "horrible" treatment of Haitian migrants and calling for an investigation into the incident. Joe Biden said the video was "beyond an embarrassment" for the U.S. and added that the accused agents "will pay" for whipping migrants. So much for supporting law enforcement at the border! September 24: The Epoch Times: AZ audit turns up disturbing info According to the Arizona audit report the official results do not match the totals from the "Final Voted File." An area of concern were duplicate ballots found during the review of the over 2 million ballots. A total of 29,557 duplicate ballots were identified in the presidential election with 2,592 more duplicate ballots counted in Maricopa County than had been sent for duplication. The number of ballots sent for duplication and those counted should be the same. We should have had 27,869 of both originals and duplicates and they should have matched up perfectly," the auditors said. "The County delivered boxes of paper ballots that were commingled and incorrectly identified … the auditors could not rely on the County's description of ballot boxes or batches identified on the manifest," they reported. Shiva Ayyadurai, one of the auditors, said his team was hired only to verify whether the envelopes contained a signature—not whether the actual signature matched that of the voter in question. Out of the 1,929,242 return envelopes provided, 17,322 duplicates were found, with some voters having cast the same ballot three to four times, more than 25% of which were received after Election Day, many without signatures. September 24: News Max: Arizona Audit shows errors: 17,000 duplicate ballots apparently counted and more; Hand count shows Biden win Auditors who reviewed voting results cast in Maricopa County, Arizona, in last November's election said Joe Biden's vote total was 99 more than officially certified. But at the same time, they maintained they'd found multiple election anomalies, among them more than 17,000 duplicate ballots. The "mainstream media" is only reporting the first part of the story and ignoring the remainder. Among the finding not being reported are that ballots came from voters with matching addresses and signatures but different voter IDs; blank signature boxes were stamped verified and approved; and the number of blank signatures increased by 25% after Nov. 4 [the day following Election Day] through Nov. 9. The after-the-fact audit is not expected to change the election results retroactively; many advocates of the recounting process have called it a means of ensuring fairer, more accurate and above-board elections in the future. September 23: The Daily Caller: Funding for Israel's Iron Dome protection passed by an overwhelming vote with one Kentucky Republican voting against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) joined with eight Democrats to vote against funding $1 billion in aid for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system Thursday. In a 420-9 vote, Massie joined with Reps. Carson (D-IN), Omar-MN), Tlaib (D-MI), Newman (D-IL), Pressley (D-MA), Garcia (D-IL), Grijalva (D-AZ), and Bush (MO). The Aid restores the Iron Dome, a defensive system engineered to intercept rockets fired toward the country from Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip. Democrats have been slammed for removing this funding from the normal appropriations process and consequently moved it as a separate bill. "This week, we witnessed Nancy Pelosi cave to the Anti-Semitic requests of her most radical members," Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said in a statement. "It is unacceptable that House Democrats would be willing to deny funding for Israel's purely defensive system that saves innocent lives from Hamas terrorists' indiscriminate rocket attacks. While the Far-Left Squad would abandon our ally and align themselves with international terrorist organizations and the Iranian regime, I am proud stand with Israel," she said. September 23: Fox News: Where's the dough Joe? Biden may owe $500,000 in back taxes Joe Biden may have improperly avoided paying Medicare taxes before he took office and could owe the IRS up to $500,000, according to a Congressional Research Service report. "Joe Biden wants to raise taxes by $2.1 trillion while claiming the rich need to pay their 'fair share.' But in 2017, multi-millionaire Joe Biden skirted his payroll taxes — the very taxes that fund Medicare and Obamacare," said Congressman Jim Banks, who chairs the Congress' Republican Study Committee. Banks said the report indicated that Biden improperly used "S corporations" while he and First Lady Jill Biden raked in over $13 million on speaking fees and book sales in 2017 and 2018, but counted less than $800,000 of it as a salary that could be taxed for Medicare. The story comes as Biden attempts to lead the charge toward passing a $3.5 trillion bill that would help fund childcare, education, and health care. In order to help pay for the cost of the massive legislation, Biden's plan calls for targeting tax avoidance while raising taxes on people in high income brackets who Biden claims don't "pay their fair share." September 23: One America News Network: Afghan pilots who fled ahead of Taliban takeover being held in Tajikistan while pleading to come to the USA Afghan pilots and personnel who have been held by the government in Tajikistan since fleeing there on Aug. 15. There are 143 Afghans detained at a sanatorium in a mountainous, rural area outside of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, waiting and hoping for over a month for transfer by the United States. After flying there with 16 aircraft as their military's ground forces crumbled before the advancing Taliban, the Afghans say they had their phones taken away. They were initially housed in a university dormitory before being moved on Sept. 1. Contact with family is extremely limited. Although they appear to be held in humane conditions, they are on edge, uncertain about the future. Among the military personnel at the facility are two Afghan women, including a pilot who is eight months pregnant. September 23: The Washington Examiner: White House orders border authorities to clear illegals from under international bridge in Del Rio as BLM protest approaches The Biden Administration has set a deadline of Friday night to clear out the Haitian migrant camp that has caused major headaches for the White House, sources say. Two senior officials within DHS said the camp, underneath the Del Rio-Acuna International Bridge, is creating bad "optics" and drawing renewed scrutiny to the administration's inability to curb illegal immigration. At one point, more than 15,000 people were in the camp, though the number had dwindled to less than a third of that by Thursday. "They want those people out from under that bridge so they can't be seen anymore," the first official said. "It's an optics thing. They are moving them around for process and release. They're going to have everyone at the bridge gone in the next two days." September 22: Townhall.com: Its confirmed; Obama DOJ went rogue to spy on an ex-Trump official It took too long to confirm. It deals with the Russian collusion hoax and the unlawful targeting of Carter Page, a former 2016 Trump campaign official. Page had worked with the CIA, State Department, and the FBI in years past. There was plenty of exculpatory evidence to prove he wasn't a Russian asset. Obama's Department of Justice intentionally omitted these key pieces of information when applying for a FISA spy warrant during the campaign. Page has long since been exonerated of the ludicrous charge that he was a spy and part of this Trump-Russia collusion delusion that engulfed the political class and the DOJ for years. Very powerful anti-Trump forces worked and manufactured evidence to support this baseless claim. They always collapsed under scrutiny, but the damage was done. September 22: The Daily Caller: White House press corps pushes Psaki as to why Biden won't take questions Multiple members of the White House press core pushed White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday to explain why Joe Biden has taken so few questions in recent weeks, calling for him to hold a formal press conference. There have been numerous instances of Biden turning his back on reporters or aides shouting down questions since the he first started facing criticism for his execution of the U.S. withdrawal (surrender) from Afghanistan at the end of August. The lack of transparency has continued as his administration faces a mounting immigration crisis. A reporter listed out the many issues Biden has yet to weigh in on, including the "collapse" of negotiations around police reform on Capitol Hill as well as the impending government shutdown, asking when Biden will open himself up to a formal press conference. September 22: The Washington Times: Biden goals close to collapse amid Democrat feuding Democrats are feuding over spending, Border Patrol tactics and other issues as time runs short on Biden's first-year agenda. Dozens of liberal House Democrats vow to vote against Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. Such a defection will doom the measure if they reach no agreement on a companion $3.5 trillion plan for social safety net programs. Meanwhile, moderate Democrats in the House and Senate want to pare down the $3.5 trillion bill. Even then, it might not pass. With time running out, 11 liberal Democratic senators urged Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) to delay a vote on the smaller infrastructure bill scheduled for Monday. "They go together, and they have got to go together," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said. "That was the agreement that was made. … That's the agreement that has to be kept." September 21: The Washington Examiner: Georgia Judge: State officials to update court on current investigations into counterfeit ballots A Georgia judge asked state officials to update his court on current investigations into allegations that counterfeit ballots were cast in the populous Fulton County during the 2020 election. Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero, who oversees the lawsuit filed by voters against members of the county's elections board, requested information from state election investigators and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about any findings up to this point. They have 20 days to respond. September 21: Fox Business: Once again, the US House considers passing a Continuing Resolution to fund government through December 3rd The US House voted Tuesday night to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 3 and raise the $28 trillion debt ceiling. The measure (HR 5305) passed on a straight party-line vote of 220-211, but will need the support of at least 10 Republicans to pass in the Senate. Citing opposition to Joe Biden's agenda, nearly every Republican in the Senate has expressed opposition to tying the debt ceiling into the bill that funds the government. The federal government faces a looming shutdown on Oct. 1 if Congress cannot reach a consensus by the Sept. 30 deadline. The government is also slated to hit the debt ceiling by mid-October, which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said. September 21: The Epoch Times: TX adopts another anti-abortion law Texas Gov Greg Abbott (R) on Monday signed a bill, which adds more limits and raises criminal penalties for the use of abortion-inducing medication, that goes into effect in three months. This comes a few weeks after Abbott signed the bill under the charges for "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly" violating the law's provisions would result in a felony with fines of up to $10,000 and between six months and two years in prison. Proponents have said the bill would "crack down on unsafe 'mail order' abortions and increase the reporting requirements for complications resulting from all types of abortion, " and could be subject to an extradition process. The earlier bill incentivizes individuals to file lawsuits against anyone suspected of helping a woman get an abortion in Texas and became effective September 1st after the Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from abortion providers to block the law from going into effect. September 21: Fox News: Biden refuses to take questions from U.S. reporters after British Prime Minster responded to questions from the media Joe Biden declined to call on U.S. reporters Tuesday after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson took questions from reporters from the United Kingdom during an Oval Office meeting. After a brief conversation with Biden that touched on issues ranging from climate change and transport infrastructure to lifting the ban on British beef, Johnson opened the floor for reporters from his home country. "Would it be okay if we have just a couple of questions, just a couple?" Johnson asked, looking over to Biden, who replied, "Good luck." After Johnson had taken several questions from British reporters, the press pool was then corralled out of the Oval Office while Johnson was mid-sentence, prompting a flurry of shouted questions from reporters. Biden has raised eyebrows for repeatedly implying that White House staff controls when and where he is allowed to take questions from the press. He has used phrases that suggest he is being "instructed" on which reporters to call on from a pre-selected list. On several occasions, he has said he is "going to get in trouble" if he answers questions from reporters. September 21: The Epoch Times: 30 bipartisan state Attorneys urge lawmakers to pass a number of antitrust/big tech measures A bipartisan group of 30 U.S. state attorneys general have come together to urge lawmakers to pass a number of bills that tighten antitrust laws aimed at Big Tech companies. In a letter sent to leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, the group urged them to continue making improvements to the antitrust laws via a range of six bills that passed the House Judiciary Committee in June. These include the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, the American Choice and Innovation Online Act, the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, the Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching ("ACCESS") Act, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act and the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act. Four of the bills directly address Big Tech's platform powers while two others empower enforcers. The group urged Congress to include a provision in the legislation that confirms that the states are "sovereigns that stand on equal footing with federal enforcers under federal antitrust law, including with regard to the timing of challenging anticompetitive mergers and other practices." September 20: The Epoch Times: Did the Joint Chiefs Chairman step out of line? Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, could have jeopardized the national security of the United States in allegedly secret calls in October 2020 and January 2021 to Gen. Li Zuocheng of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), according to former U.S. military officers. Reportedly the calls were to assure the Red Chinese that the U.S. would not attack them. "General Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we're going to attack, I'm going to call you ahead of time. It's not going to be a surprise," a book alleged Milley said. Some U.S. lawmakers have described Milley's actions as treasonous, saying the general overstepped his authority, and have called for Joe Biden to fire Milley. To the shock of many Milley has not denied making he calls and has defended his conversations calling them "routine" and "perfectly within the duties and responsibilities" of his job. According to the new book, Milley on Jan. 8 also conveyed instructions to senior military officials not to take orders regarding military strikes or launching nuclear weapons from anyone without the chairman's approval. Military leaders said "The chairman is little more than a presidential military adviser, who is prohibited by law from exercising executive authority and does not have nuclear release authority." To at otherwise would be far outside his authority. September 20: The Daily Caller: Durham "Russiagate" indictment could lead to Jake Sullivan If Robert Mueller's sprawling investigation into President Trump and associates for bogus allegations about a Russia conspiracy in the 2016 election was a Category 5 hurricane, John Durham's probe into the corrupt origins of Russiagate has so far been a tropical depression. Democrat lawyer and former federal prosecutor Michael Sussmann of Perkins Coie, a law firm for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, was indicated by a federal grand jury last week for lying to the FBI during a September 2016 meeting with then-General Counsel James Baker. September 20: The Washington Examiner: Civil suit filed against Texas doctor who violated abortion ban in the first test of law's constitutionality San Antonio-based physician Alan Braid has been sued for defying the Texas abortion ban, a decision he admitted to last week expecting a legal challenge. The civil suit will be the first legal test of the law's constitutionality. The ban on abortions after six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant, does not make exceptions for cases of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. It is enforced by private citizens, who are authorized to sue anyone who aids and abets the procedure for a minimum of $10,000. The law went into effect on Sept. 1, and abortion rights advocates were powerless to stop it when the US Supreme Court declined to issue a temporary injunction one day later. Less than a week after the law was implemented, Braid said he performed an abortion on a woman still in her first trimester but beyond the six-week cutoff. September 20: The Washington Times: Activists, progressives demand reversal of parliamentarian ruling against putting amnesty provision into the budget reconciliation bill Immigrant rights advocates said Monday that Democrats must change, ignore or overturn the Senate parliamentarian's ruling that the law precludes adding an amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants to the $3.5 trillion budget bill. Some activists said they're willing to give party leaders more time to change Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough's mind with an alternative legalization plan. But a growing chorus of voices said Democrats must ponder tougher measures, including voting to overturn her decision, upend 30 years of Senate practice and bully the amnesty through Congress. The tough talk underscored the stakes for Democrats on immigration after years of promises for action that ended without a bill clearing Congress. September 19: The Epoch Times: Biden Admin warns states the federal debt crisis could trigger a recession [The answer? Stop spending all that federal money and don't enact the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill!] The Biden administration has issued a warning that the pending federal debt crisis could trigger an economic recession that would impact economic growth and trigger job losses across the United States. "Hitting the debt ceiling could cause a recession. Economic growth would falter, unemployment would rise, and the labor market could lose millions of jobs," the White House said in a letter to state and local governments that was released Friday as the White House argues that the national debt ceiling needs to be increased, something both Republican and Democrat controlled Congresses have – some would contend unwisely – done for years! September 19: One America News Network: Amid vaccine mandates, hospitals see an increase in employee shortages Hospitals across the U.S. are facing shortages over vaccine mandates. While some public health experts have said new vaccine mandates may not show its impact for several months, hospitals are already facing staffing shortage as workers are refusing to be vaccinated. In New York, hospital and nursing home employees are required to get vaccinated in the coming weeks or face the possibility of losing their jobs. President/CEO of Thompson Health, Michael Stapleton, said the vaccine mandate could lead to even more of an increase in job openings as there are workers who still haven't received the COVID-19 vaccine. "We're going to lose people over this mandate. That breaks my heart," said Stapleton. "These are great people who have cared for our community over and over again. They've dedicated their careers to taking care of people and now they're not going to potentially be able to. That's horrible." Other hospitals, including one in Texas, are saying they may need to close their doors if getting the "jab" is required. September 19: The Washington Examiner: Here is an idea, the US should buy French submarines and give them to Vietnam (opinion piece) The purchase of a number of French Shortfin Barracuda submarines and providing them to Vietnam would have an interesting twist. First, the Biden administration would repair relations with America's oldest ally which has already recalled its ambassador from the U.S. Second, it would supply a rising security partner (Vietnam) with newly potent means of challenging China's imperialism. And third, it would test President Emmanuel Macron's commitment to international security in the South China Sea. Taking this action might help quell France's rage over Australia's cancellation of a submarine contract worth tens of billions of dollars. France is mixing justifiable anger (it has lost a lucrative contract worth thousands of jobs) with a healthy degree of hypocrisy (France's government-owned Naval Group was playing games with its timetable, cost estimates, and production/sourcing commitments). Still, these submarines could provide outsize value to the U.S. and broader international security interests were they built for Vietnam. September 18: The Washington Times: Biden faces major leadership failures in first eight months in office, accentuated by what happened in the last month In the last month the Biden Administration has faced a number of leadership challenges in rapid secession including: The mistargeting of a drone attack on Afghan terrorists who turned out to be civilians; the FDA's rejection by a vote of 16-2 of Biden plans for widespread COVID-19 booster shots, saying it needs more data before approving additional shots; France recalling its ambassador over the US, and not France, being selected as the builder of a nuclear submarine for Australia; and the continuing invasion of hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants over the US southern border requiring DHS to shut down the Del Rio point of entry. Amid all of this, Biden's approval numbers have fallen into the basement with a 44% approval rating, a nine point drop in the last week. September 18: One America News Network: Is it about control or health? FL to fight Biden Administration efforts to limit shipment of antibodies to the Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) pledges to "work like hell" to ensure his constituents have access to monoclonal antibodies to fight COVID-19. The statement on Thursday was in response to the Biden administration clamping down on shipments of the antibodies to the Sunshine State. Health and Human Services seized control of the supply lines this week and limited Florida's deliveries by half. DeSantis claimed such sudden disruption would cause patients to suffer. Meanwhile, the governor is looking to go around the federal government and buy directly from the source. September 18: The Epoch Times: Thousands rally in NYC against vaccine passports Thousands gathered near Central Park in Manhattan on Saturday to express their discontent with the vaccine mandates and passport requirements implemented on the city by Mayor Bill de Blasio this month. New York City started enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate Monday, with de Blasio warning that "there'll be consequences" for those who do not follow the rules. The mandate requires establishments to put up certain signage and verify customers' COVID-19 vaccine proof, such as vaccination cards issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York City vaccination records, other official immunization records, the NYC COVID Safe App, or the Excelsior Pass. The protest leader was heard to announce: "If you took the vaccine, I love you. This not against you, we are pro-freedom." Protestors held signs like the one shown here by the Epoch Times; "We are not your lab rats…" September 18: One America News Network: Timely? GA Secretary of State signs petition to ensure only citizens vote Georgia's secretary of state is pushing for an amendment to the state's constitution, granting only U.S. citizens the right to vote which is already a requirement of federal law. On Thursday, Brad Raffensperger signed his name on a petition launched by grassroots organization "Americans for Citizen Voting." In 2020, the organization led the charge in helping pass amendments in Florida, Alabama and Colorado to ensure illegal immigrants couldn't vote in their elections. Americans for Citizen Voting President Christopher Arps said, "This measure has the overwhelming bipartisan support of the American people… everyone should agree that only American citizens should vote." Meanwhile, opponents of the change have argued non-citizens don't have the right to vote in Georgia already. However, Raffensperger has argued the language needs to be clearer and more direct. Amendments to the Georgia constitution require a 2/3rds majority vote in both the state's House and Senate. September 18: Fox News: Oops; Wrong target! We hardly needed more confirmation that Joe Biden's plans for protecting Americans and their interests are inept. And yet we just got it: U.S. military officials have acknowledged that the August 29, 2021 drone strike in Kabul -- that the Biden administration said was against a car with Afghan terrorist heading to the airport to attack American troops – actually was innocent civilians and children. Wars and terrorism are a brutal business and sometimes innocent people die but don't think for a second there is moral equivalency among combatants. Terrorists intentionally target innocents. Lawful combatants have an obligation to refrain from targeting civilians, and—balanced with the military necessity of conducting operations and protecting their own forces—to take reasonable efforts to mitigate civilian casualties. Unlike our terrorist foes, the U.S. military operates under these rules. Experts point out that this is a harbinger of future events. Without real time intelligence and the ability to verify targets, this likely could happen again. September 18: The Washington Times: Pompeo: Biden's handling of North Korea is dangerous Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday warned that Joe Biden is making "dangerous moves" on North Korea and his lack of a coherent response to Pyongyang's provocations jeopardizes American credibility with allies who want "leadership from the United States." "I'm concerned that the United States is returning to an Obama-era policy of 'Strategic Patience' 2.0,'" Pompeo told an audience of dignitaries from South Korea and Japan at a virtual gathering Saturday that included remarks from other former high-level U.S. diplomats and lawmakers. Pompeo referred to years of waffling on NK by the former Bush and Obama administrations, prior to the Trump-era escalation of sanctions and other pressure on Pyongyang led to historic denuclearization summits between former President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. September 17: The Daily Caller: The lawsuits are coming; small business plans to sue over Biden vaccine mandate The Job Creators Network (JCN) announced plans to sue the Biden administration over its mandate requiring private sector workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The advocacy group said it would soon file a lawsuit alongside several of its small business members JCN argued the mandate would make hiring more difficult, harming small businesses that are already struggling to find workers amid the slowing economic recovery. "Biden's vaccine mandate on small businesses is unconstitutional and a dramatic overreach of federal authority," JCN President Alfredo Ortiz said in a statement. "To hold the Biden Administration accountable and stand up for small businesses, Job Creators Network plans to file a lawsuit to block the implementation of this order." Ortiz also contended that given the current economic times this mandate comes at the most importune time. September 16: Texas Scorecard: TX and 22 other state attorney general's pledge to fight, if adopted, Dems federalizing of election laws This week, Texas and a coalition of states warned Congress they will "aggressively defend" against Democrat-priority legislation to impose federal control over states' election processes. On Monday, 23 state attorney generals issued a challenge to U.S. House and Senate leaders, opposing H.R. 4 and promising a legal fight if the bill becomes law. H.R. 4 establishes the U.S. Department of Justice as a "federal election czar" dictating how states must administer their elections. It would require states to get permission from the federal government before enacting any election reforms—a throwback to "pre-clearance" requirements in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were meant to last five years but remained in effect until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled their continued application unconstitutional in 2013. Opponents contend the bill permits politically appointed bureaucrats to meddle in state affairs, is unlawful, and violates state sovereignty. They view it as a heavy-handed effort to circumvent Supreme Court decisions, state sovereignty, and the will of the people. The bill passed the house last month and now must overcome the 60 vote filibuster threshold in order to pass the Senate. September 16: The Washington Examiner: Democrats concerned about the direction of polling data The public's dour view about the country's direction is a concerning trend for Joe Biden and congressional Democrats before next year's midterm elections. However, the polling data suggest it won't be easy for Republicans to capitalize upon it. Biden's flagging job approval numbers have become fodder for political reporters amid the persistent COVID-19 pandemic and the botched Afghanistan withdrawal (surrender). But right direction-wrong track questions — meaning the number of Americans who think the country is headed in the right direction, compared to those who believe it's on the wrong track — suggest Biden and Democrats will have to message carefully before the 2022 cycle. Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling with their brand. September 16: The Daily Caller: Grand Jury indicts lawyer for lying to the FBI and conspiracy; Durham investigation of Trump-Russia collusion As a result of the Durham investigation, a federal grand jury indicted prominent lawyer Michael Sussmann, who represented the Democratic National Committee after Russia hacked its servers in 2016. ,According to court documents, he has been indicted for allegedly lying to the FBI. The indictment claims Sussmann lied when he stated to the General Counsel of the FBI that he was not acting on behalf of any client in conveying particular allegations concerning a Presidential candidate, when in fact he was acting on behalf of specific clients, namely, Tech Executive-1 and the Clinton Campaign. People familiar with the matter told the New York Times (NYT) that John Durham, the special counsel appointed by the Trump administration to review the Russia investigation, asked a grand jury to indict the cybersecurity lawyer. Sussmann is a partner in a law firm that had a separate division that represented Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign and the Democratic Party, the NYT reported. Durham's case apparently focuses on who Sussmann's client was in September 2016 when he gave the FBI data and analysis that he said could indicate the Trump organization was linked to the Kremlin and associated financial institutions. September 16: The Daily Signal: "Stew" in the market brings higher meat prices! Last year, during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, there were reasonable concerns regarding higher-than-normal meat prices, including poultry. There was nothing nefarious about the higher prices, just simple economics at play, and the harsh realities of a global pandemic. And as expected, the resilient food-supply system came through, and prices came back down. The major meat shortages some feared never came to pass. However, we are starting to see meat prices rise again. The Biden administration is pointing to "potential corruption" in the meat-processing industry as the cause. But the laws of supply and demand argue otherwise. There is still a high demand for meat at grocery stores. Meanwhile farmers are experiencing higher feed costs and meat processing facilities are being impacted by higher labor costs as well. All this and supply-chain disruptions translates into higher prices for consumers. But the federal government is ignoring how the federal government itself might have contributed to this price influx. As government inserts itself it adversely impacts the operation of the free market economy. September 15: One America Nnews Network: PA Senate authorizes subpoena for election audit Republican state senators in Pennsylvania are taking steps toward a possible 2020 election audit. On Wednesday, the State Senate voted seven to four to authorize 17 subpoenas requesting information from Gov. Tom Wolf's (D) office. The lawmakers are seeking information on all voters in the state, including partial Social Security numbers, driver's license details and how they cast ballots (e.g., in person or by mail in balloting). State Sen. Cris Dush (R) said the review is necessary in order to address allegations of voter irregularities in the swing state. Dush argued "we're not responding to proven allegations. We are investigating the allegations to determine whether or not they are factual." In the meantime, in a related story, rumors are that the Arizona audit will show that more than 250,000 illegal votes were cast in Arizona during the 2020 election in which Biden won the state by a slim margin of approximately 10,500 votes. September 15: The Epoch Times: New security pact announced by the US, UK, and Australia amid rising Chinese influence The United States, the UK, and Australia on Sept. 15 announced a new trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific, amid rising Chinese assertiveness in the region. The first move under this partnership, called "AUKUS," would be for the United States and the UK to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The new security alliance was announced by Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a joint virtual press conference from each of their capitals. September 15: The Epoch Times: Japanese hold nationwide military drills amid Chinese aggressiveness In a related story, Japan has started a nationwide full-scale military drill on Wednesday for the first time in nearly 30 years as it aims to enforce its capabilities to defend remote islands amid China's assertive actions in the Indo-Pacific. "In order to respond effectively to various situations, including attacks on the islands, it is essential that the necessary forces are deployed quickly and extensively, depending on the situation," Nobuo Kishi, the country's minister of defense said. "In an increasingly uncertain security environment, the focus of our work will be on operational readiness," he added. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GDSF) announced that the military exercise will involve all units and will be carried out until mid-to-late November. The drills will include around 100,000 personnel, 20,000 vehicles, and 120 aircraft, the network reported. September 15: Fox News: Analysis shows those vaccinated last year twice more likely to get Covid-19 than those recently inoculated Moderna Inc. has released a set of data which suggested its COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing serious health issues or death from "variants of concern" while admitting that efficacy decreases over time, such that those who received the vaccine last year were twice more likely to contract a breakthrough case of the coronavirus disease. According to the Moderna released data, the "study shows lower risk of breakthrough infection in participants vaccinated more recently (median 8 months after first dose) than participants vaccinated last year (median 13 months after first dose)." The research found that those who were vaccinated earlier on had a 50% higher rate of symptomatic breakthrough cases during the months of July and August compared to those who had received the vaccination later. September 15: The Daily Caller: House committee deals Pelosi a blow as Centrists Dems join Republicans causing a tie vote on part of the $3.5 trillion budget bill The House Committee on Energy and Commerce rejected a key drug pricing control bill in a stunning rebuke of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leadership. Democratic Reps. Kurt Schrader, Scott Peters and Kathleen Rice voted alongside their Republican colleagues on the panel, creating a 29-29 tie on the vote to move the bill forward. The committee meeting was held to mark-. up parts of Democrats' sweeping $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. Schrader said during the hearing. "For many years now, I've been committed to addressing drug prices in a meaningful way. Americans, regardless of political affiliation, have made it clear Congress has to actually act and get something done." He contended the bill had several provisions that would stifle innovation. September 14: The Epoch Times: Heavily indebted Chinese developer the target of angry investors-protesters Thousands of disgruntled investors besieged the headquarters of the world's most indebted property developer in China to demand repayment of loans and financial products on Sept. 13. On Sept. 8, investors found the company (Evergrande) had suspended payments to its wealth management products, raising panic among investors who have been protesting since last Friday, fearing their money will all be lost. Simultaneous rallies were held in major Chinese cities. "Return our hard-earned money," most slogans read, also called out by crowds. Videos circulated on social media show that the local government mobilized a large volume of the police force to monitor attendees. September 14: The Daily Caller: Senator Kennedy; So you think justice Kavanaugh is "intellectually and morally bankrupt?" Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) criticized Joe Biden's judicial nominee Jennifer Sung Tuesday over a letter she signed that called Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh "intellectually and morally bankrupt." During the hearing Kennedy pressed Sung, Biden's nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, over a letter from Yale Law students and alumni, which heavily criticized then-Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh. The Senator asked if she believes Kavanaugh is morally bankrupt, to which she said "my personal opinion is not appropriate for me to say. I respect his authority as a Supreme Court Justice." "So you do think he is morally bankrupt," Kennedy followed up? Sung finally confirmed that she had signed the letter that was addressed to fellow alumni and not the public. Kennedy responded, "I think you allowed your political beliefs to cloud your judgment." He went on to say "I cannot imagine what it's going to be like to be a litigant in front of you, with that demonstration of lack of judicial temperament and judgment." September 13: The Washington Times: McCall takes on Blinken over the failed evacuation from Afghanistan The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee [Michael McCaul (TX)] told Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday that the administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan was an "unconditional surrender to the Taliban" and an "unmitigated disaster of epic proportions," saying the situation in Afghanistan is now far worse than it was before the 9/11 attacks. The criticism came as the committee, marking started its inquiry into the chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal and scramble to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghan refugees, which ended Aug. 31. "This didn't have to happen," McCaul told Mr. Blinken. "But the [Joe Biden] refused to listen to his own generals and the intelligence community who warned him what would happen when we withdrew." September 13: Fox News: Gov. DeSantis; Biden is "obsessed" with Florida, maybe its because they want to protect the freedoms of their people Joe Biden won't be on the Florida ballot next year when Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) runs for a second four-year term steering the Sunshine State. But the Governor, speaking at a fundraiser in Nebraska, was taking on Biden nonetheless. "My message from Florida is this: When Joe Biden violates the Constitution, when Joe Biden attacks the jobs of Floridians and Americans, when Joe Biden targets the livelihood of Florida families and American families, I am fighting back against him," DeSantis said. DeSantis used his speech to criticize Biden over his handling of the rocky U.S. withdrawal and evacuation from Afghanistan and Biden's executive order last week mandating COVID vaccines for up to 100 million American workers. DeSantis, who narrowly won is election in 2018 has seen his popularity surge among Republican voters in his state and around the nation over the past year and a half, thanks in large part to his combative pushback against COVID restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. September 13: One America News Network: Gov. Newsom's wife allegedly tried to bride actress to be quiet about Weinstein raping her Actress and activist Rose McGowan, who made headlines in the New York Times for detailing Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault history, now says Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) wife tried to silence her before the article's release. On the Daily Wire's Rubin Report last week, McGowan detailed a call she received from Jennifer Newsom in which she claims she was coerced into staying silent about Weinstein. The actress has accused Weinstein of raping her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997 when she was 23-years-old. McGowan said the call from Newsom's wife came six months before the New York Times piece exposing Harvey Weinstein broke in 2017. McGowan claimed Newsom's wife cold called her and told her Weinstein's attorney wanted to know what it would take to "make her happy." She mentioned in the interview how it was obvious she was trying to make the story go away. September 12: The Epoch Times: Major supermarket chain warns of spike in inflation An executive of one of the largest US grocery store chains, Kroger, warned grocery prices are about to become even higher this year as inflation starts to impact more and more Americans. Inflation is running hotter than previously anticipated, and prices are slated to rise an additional 2-3 percent during the second half of 2021, Gary Millerchip (Kroger's CEO) said. Kroger will be "passing along higher cost to the customer where it makes sense to do so," he said. Millerchip's remarks come as White House officials blame meat processing companies for the increase in beef, poultry and pork. The Administration officials failed to mention that inflation may be the cause despite the producer price index increasing by 0.7 percent in August 2021 over the previous month. Final demand prices have also risen 8.3 percent from a year ago, which is the biggest increase since 2010, according to a Department of Labor report issued on Sept. 10. Additionally, some companies are concerned that inflation in 2022 will continue to be greater than it has been in 2021. [Editorial Comment; The Administration apparently does not see the correlation between the increase in spending, increasing the national debt, and printing more money to cover same as a major cause of inflation.] September 12: Fox News: Liberal Justice Beyer opposes political realignment of the US Supreme Court SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer said in an interview how politically charged the Supreme Court has become in terms of people's attitudes toward the judiciary, while expressing hope that the institution will not lose the faith of the public. Breyer, 83, discussed an idea from his new book, "The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics," in which he quotes Alexander Hamilton in stating that unlike other branches of the federal government, the judicial branch relies on public acceptance to maintain its authority. Despite the political polarization of the country, Breyer doesn't support "court packing" and believes there should be a branch of government that is outside the confines of politics. A number of Democrats have proposed taking away the current conservative majority on the court by expanding its size and allowing Joe Biden to appoint several liberal justices. Breyer warned that this is what could ultimately lead to the court losing the people's trust. "Well, if one party could do it, I guess another party could do it," he said. "On the surface, it seems to me you start changing all these things around and people will lose trust in the court." September 12: The Epoch Times: Manchin (D-WVA) is a no vote on the $3.5 trillion budget bill, but will he stick to his guns? Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVA) confirmed Sunday that he will not vote for a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill that contains a number of climate, social welfare, and other initiatives, arguing that the price tag is far too high. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) won't "have my vote on" the package, Manchin said, "Chuck knows that, and we've talked about this." The senator said, ""We've already put out $5.4 trillion and we've tried to help Americans in every way we possibly can and a lot of the help that we've put out there is still there and it's going to run clear until next year, 2022, so what's the urgency? It's not the same urgency that we had with the American Rescue Plan. We got that out the door quickly. That was about $2 trillion." September 11: The Washington Times: Biden gets tough on the unvaccinated minority while pivoting away from his Afghan debacle The percentage of Americans fully vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus quietly passed the 50% mark in early August, a milestone overshadowed by Senate wrangling over an infrastructure bill, a House probe into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Taliban's march through Afghan provinces. A month later Joe Biden, battered by lousy jobs reports and a disastrous exit from Kabul, is hammering the "minority" of Americans who remain unvaccinated and jumping headlong into the thorny world of mandate politics. Leaning heavily on us-versus-them rhetoric, betting voters will take his side as he tempts backlash and lawsuits over his sweeping mandates on private employers. Republican governors from across the nation have threatened to sue over the forthcoming rules from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which would levy fines on companies with over 100 employees which don't require their workers to get vaccinated or to fire them. September 11: Fox News: President Bush speaks at PA crash site President George W. Bush shared a message with veterans and service members during his Saturday speech marking 20 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks. He spoke from the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania, where he remembered some 3,000 people who lost their lives in four separate terrorist attacks on the most significant day of the 43rd president's two-term presidency. "After 9/11, millions of brave Americans stepped forward and volunteered to serve in the armed forces, and military measures taken over the last 20 years to pursue dangers at their source have led to debate," Bush said. "But one thing is certain: we owe an assurance to all who have fought our nation's most recent battles. The cause you pursued in the call of duty," he continued. "is the noblest America has to offer. You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force for good in the world." September 11: The Washington Examiner: Biden says AL Qaeda could come back while defending the US withdrawal/surrender in Afghanistan Joe Biden said the terrorist group responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks could "come back" now that the United States has fully withdrawn from Afghanistan. Biden, who visited each of the three crash sites on the attacks' 20th anniversary, said a surge in militancy from al Qaeda is possible after asserting previously that the group is "gone" from Afghanistan. "Could al Qaeda come back? Yeah," Biden told reporters in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, near the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into an empty field on Sept. 11, 2001. "But guess what? It's already back other places. What's the strategy? Every place where al Qaeda is, we're going to invade and have troops stay in? Come on." September 10: The Daily Caller: Old man Fauci doesn't have an answer to why those who have recovered from Chinese coronavirus are required to take the vaccine Dr. Fauci said Thursday that he didn't have a "firm answer" as to why those who have been previously infected with the Chinese coronavirus and have natural immunity are being required to take the vaccine. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta noted a recent Isreali study that found people with natural immunity from Covid due to a previous infection were much less likely to become infected, be hospitalized, or die from Covid than their counterparts who had never been infected but had received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Gupta asked if previously infected people should also get the vaccine, and if so, how Fauci plans to make the case for those people to get it. "You know, that's a really good point, Sanjay. I don't have a really firm answer for you on that," Fauci said. "That's something that we're going to have to discuss regarding the durability of the response." September 10: The Washington Free Beacon: Postal service unions spent big bucks on Biden; now they are exempted from the federal vaccine mandate… Why? Questions are being asked why the postal service is being exempted from the Biden federal vaccine mandate. Is it because they deliver mail in ballots? Is it because they gave big bucks to the Biden campaign? Or are we to believe that somehow the science says they don't need it while the rest of the workforce including those companies that employ over 100 people is being mandated to get the jab? According to USPS, its status as an independent agency exempts it from the Biden executive order so that the nearly 500,000 postal workers will not be required to get vaccinated. The fact that the letter carrier's union spent about $3 million to boost Biden and other Democrat candidates, apparently had nothing to do with their being exempted. This raises the question "Does this exemption also apply to all the other independent federal agencies" like The Consumer Product Safety Commission, The Federal Reserve, The National Science Foundation, The Federal Maritime Commission, etc.? September 10: The Daily Signal: Biden mandates vaccine for Federal employees, contractors, and all employees in businesses with 100 or more workers Joe Biden announced a string of mandates requiring federal employees and a sizable number of private sector workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. "This is not about freedom or personal choice," Biden said in formal remarks Thursday evening. "It's about protecting yourself and those around you, the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love. My job as president is to protect all Americans." Biden said the Department of Labor will require all employers that have 100 or more employees—"that together employ more than 80 million workers"—to make sure their workforces are vaccinated. The president's executive order requiring federal workers to be vaccinated likely will affect about 2.1 million civilian employees, plus millions of contractors. [See related column on Freedom verses Socialism] September 9: The Daily Signal: 18 States pass election reform measures amid attacks claiming voter suppression Here is what some of these measures do: Alabama: The new law prohibits curbside voting and requires that applications for absentee ballots be received no less than ten days prior to Election Day. Arkansas: This measure requires voters who cast provisional ballots to show ID by noon on the Monday after Election Day as opposed to its previous law that only required a sworn statement. An additional measure puts stricter limits on ballot harvesting, the practice in which political operatives distribute and collect large quantities of absentee ballots. It also prohibits election officials from distributing unsolicited applications for absentee ballots. Arizona: One measure requires the secretary of state to compare death records to the statewide voter registration list. Another enhances the security of voting machines. The state bans the use of private money to pay for election administration (i.e., Zuckerber's $350 million to election offices across he country in 2020). An additional measure directs the removal of inactive voters from from an early-voting list if they have not voted in two consecutive election cycles. And a fourth law requires voters to sign the envelope in which they submit an absentee ballot. Florida: In Florida a law was enacted that restricts ballot harvesting by only allowing immediate family members from delivering absentee ballots, and then limiting it to no more than two ballots from others. Additionally, like Arizona, it banns the private funding of election administration while requiring that voters request absentee ballots in order to receive one. It also increases security for ballot drop boxes which was a pandemic-related tactic used in the 2020 election. Georgia: In Georgia there is now a requirement voter IDs be provided in order to cast an absentee ballot. It also prohibits political operatives from offering food, bottled water, or anything of value within 150 feet of polls. Idaho: Similar to Arizona and Florida, Idaho passed a measure that requires all state election funding must come from federal, state, or local government entities. Indiana: Indiana will also prohibit local election jurisdictions from accepting or spending funds that come from private donors for the purpose of running elections. Iowa: A new Iowa law – a battleground state in recent years – now requires absentee ballots to arrive at election offices by the close of Election Day in order to be counted. It also the number of days for early voting from 29 to 20. Kansas: A new measure in Kansas limits the number of ballots one person may return to an election office to ten; a measure to limit ballot harvesting. This measure was passed over a veto by their Democrat governor. Kentucky: Kentucky has increased security for absentee ballots and requires a paper trail for voting machines. It also sets up an online portal for absentee ballot requests and adds three days to in-person early voting, up from the previous 19-day limit. Louisiana: The Louisiana state legislature added a procedure for election officials to remove dead voters from registration rolls within 30 days of receipt of a death certificate. Montana: A new Montana law requires voters at the polls to present either a state driver's license, a tribal photo identification card, a state ID card number, or a military ID. Other measures close voter registration a noon the day prior to an election, restrict paid ballot collectors (harvesters), and allows local election officials to reduce polling place hours for locations with fewer than 400 registered voters (provided other polling locations are open and available). Nevada: Nevada passed a measure that increases the authorized size for a precinct from 3,000 to 5,000. New Hampshire: New Hampshire was the only New England state to pass election legislation this year. In doing so they require their Secretary of State to provide information on matches of death records against the list of voters. Additionally they passed a law requiring those who register to vote on Election Day to complete an affidavit and to provide a photo taken prior to Election Day. Oklahoma: Oklahoma established a 30-day limit for a county election board to remove dead voters from its registration list. It also passed another measure that expands early in-person voting and requires applications for absentee ballots to be received no later than 5 p.m. on the third Monday preceding an election. A third measure allows the State Election Board to participate in multistate organizations that maintain voter lists, such as the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center. This will help guard against people attempting to vote in more than one state in the same election. Texas: In its third try, Texas enacted a measure the extends early voting hours, prohibits election clerks from mailing out an application for an absentee ballot unless a voter request one, and bans "drive-through" voting. The measure also requires voter ID for mail-in ballots and safeguards for poll watchers. The law also requires the Texas secretary of state to use specifics on a driver's license to "verify the accuracy of citizenship status information," previously this was done on the honor system and seldom checked unless an issue presented itself. [See related column on what the Texas law, SB-1, actually does.] Utah: Utah's HB-12, requires the names of dead voters be removed from rolls and assigns the state's lieutenant governor to enforce it. And finally, Wyoming: Wyoming law now requires voters to show ID to vote in person. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver's license, a state or tribal ID, a passport, a military ID, or one from a Wyoming public school, university, or community college. September 10: Regent University: Do you like the Blue Bloods TV show? If so, you may enjoy seeing this! Here is an interview with the real, and former, New York City Police Commissioner (Bernie Kerik) talking about what happened on September 11, 2001, the NYC response, the preparations for such a catastrophic event, and how the attack on the World Trade Center compares with what happened with the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.  It will give you an in-depth understanding of what happened twenty years ago and how it relates to today.  [This is Segment #2 in a series “9/11, a 20 year Retrospective” presented by Regent University and Michele Bauchmann] September 9: One America News Network: Trump reaches out to families of the fallen, invited to attend at least one funeral service President Trump has reportedly reached out to the families of the fallen service members killed in the Kabul airport attack. On Wednesday, an advisor said Trump had been making phone calls to the grieving families. In addition, they said the 45th president would try to attend a funeral of one of the Marines in Manhattan.  The mother of 20-year-old fallen Marine Kareem Nikoui invited Trump to her son’s memorial service after what she said was a disappointing meeting with Joe Biden. She wrote to Facebook that “it would be such an honor” if Trump would attend.  Although Trump responded to her funeral invitation, he has not confirmed publicly if he would be in attendance on Sept. 18. September 8: Townhall.com: Eleven Trump appointees to the Military Advisory Boards told to resign or get the boot…  KellyAnne responds Eleven Trump appointees to the Military Academy Advisory Boards have been by the Biden administration that they must resign or will be removed.   Not only have many signaled that they will not resign, but they've announced such decisions in particularly memorable ways. White House Press Secretary confirmed as much.  Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to Trump, was one of the 11 asked. She responded by a letter to Joe Biden saying   "I'm not resigning, but you should!" In part, her letter read: "Your decision is disappointing but understandable given the need to distract from a news cycle that has you mired in multiple self-inflicted crises and plummeting poll numbers, including a rise in new COVID cases, a dismal jobs report, inflation, a record amount of drugs coming across the southern border, and, of course, the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan that left hundreds of Americans and thousands of Afghan allies stranded under Taliban rule." September 8: The Washington Times: As migrants pour in from Afghanistan the country has been eager to receive them America has had countless waves of migrants in the past, but rarely has the country been as eager to receive them as it has for the tens of thousands of Afghans who are being airlifted into the country.  Charities and resettlement agencies say they have been overwhelmed by the response, with offers of open arms, leads on apartments and a flood of supplies.  The desperate airlift out of Kabul had barely kicked into gear last month when a call went out from Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington for items such as shampoo, razors, wall art and alarm clocks — anything that could help a suddenly displaced Afghan family arriving with only what they could carry.  A few days later the director of the Adventist group, asked folks to halt drop-offs because organizers needed time to process the crush of items. September 8: The Washington Free Beacon:  Dem in Iowa swing district reportedly donated money to bail out illegal immigrant Swing-district Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan donated money to pay bail for illegal immigrants through a group that works to achieve a "world without police."  In July 2019  Bohannan said she was "glad to contribute" to Prairielands Freedom Fund.  Just one month before Bohannan's donation, the group—which also advocates the elimination of prisons—promoted a campaign to "rally for the abolition of Immigration Customs Enforcement" and "melt ICE."  Two years later, Bohannan is setting aside her radical past in an attempt to recast herself as a moderate, bipartisan alternative to Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA).  The Democrat says she "is running for Congress because she believes we need less bickering in Washington, and more working together." Prior to her campaign announcement, however, the state legislator scrubbed all her policy positins from her 2020 campaign site, including sections that condemned Iowa's popular voter ID law and endorsed taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries. September 7: The Daily Caller: US Dept. of State won’t approve private evacuation flights out of Afghanistan The U.S. State Department will not give official approval to any private evacuation flight from Afghanistan seeking to land in third countries, leaked emails show.  “No independent charters are allowed to land at [Al Udeid Air Base], the military airbase you mentioned in your communication with Samantha Power,” a State Department official said in a Sept. 1 email to Eric Montalvo, who organized a number of charter flights out of Afghanistan.    “In fact, no charters are allowed to land at an [sic] DoD base and most if not all countries in the Middle Eastern region, with the exception of perhaps Saudi Arabia will allow charters to land,” the department official wrote. “You need to find another destination country, and it can’t be the U.S. either.”  Whose side is the Department of State on?  Is this part of the Biden plan for the evacuation of U.S. citizens found behind enemy lines?  Fox News reported that the Biden administration has delayed private evacuation efforts while American citizens and our Afghan allies remain trapped in Afghanistan.  September 7: The Washington Free Beacon: VP Harris-backed bail fund freed abuser who is now wanted for murder A bail fund promoted by Kamala Harris freed an alleged domestic abuser just weeks before police arrested him again this time for murder.  Minneapolis police arrested George Howard Aug. 29 after the career criminal allegedly shot 38-year-old Luis Martinez Ortiz to death following a road rage incident. Roughly three weeks earlier, the Minnesota Freedom Fund bailed Howard out following a domestic violence charge.  Harris faced criticism on the 2020 campaign trail after she urged her followers to "chip in now" to the Minnesota Freedom Fund "to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota" days after George Floyd's death. According to American Bail Coalition executive director Jeffrey Clayton, the group "definitely got a windfall" in the wake of the Democrat's endorsement, raising a staggering $35 million as violent protests swept the nation. September 7: The Washington Times: US-funded research at Communist Party lab in Wuhan, China, raises new questions about the origin of COVID-19 New documents revealed Tuesday are offering new insights into the scope and target of U.S.-funded research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute research lab in China and raise new questions over the origins of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that has infected more than 4.5 million people around the globe.  The more than 900 pages of documents obtained by online investigative news site The Intercept through FOIA litigation against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers previously undisclosed details of U.S.-based EcoHealth Alliance bat coronavirus research at the lab funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).   The revelations also provoked fresh scrutiny of NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, whose been accused by some lawmakers of misleading Congress about the extent of U.S. involvement in the Chinese lab’s gain-of-function research on coronavirus. September 7: One America News Network: Texas Gov. signs election integrity legislation to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a sweeping election reform bill into law after a battle with Democrats. Abbott signed the bill on Tuesday, which marked just days after it cleared both chambers of the state legislature.  The legislation would tighten requirements for absentee voting as well as ban 24-hour and the use of drop boxes.  It also attempts to stop ballot harvesting and expands the minimum hours of early voting.  Additionally, implements voter ID requirements for those voting by mail.  “One thing that all Texans can agree, and that is that we must have trust and confidence in our elections,” Abbott said. “The bill that I’m about to sign helps to achieve that goal. One thing that it does is, it insures that every eligible voter will have the opportunity to vote.” September 6: The Epoch Times: A Texas City offers Samsung extensive property tax breaks to build a $17 billion chip plant; If successful ground breaking could take place as early as the second quarter 2022 The city of Taylor, Texas, is planning to offer Samsung extensive property tax breaks if the company chooses to establish its new $17 billion chip plant in its jurisdiction.  Taylor is one of several sites Samsung is currently considering for a chip factory that could create around 1,800 jobs in the region that is selected. As of yet, none of the other potential sites have disclosed any potential tax breaks they might give the tech giant.  According to a proposed resolution Taylor is set to offer a grant for the land it will use equivalent to 92.5 percent of assessed property tax for 10 years, 90 percent for the following 10 years, and then 85 percent in the 10 years after that.  Additionally, the city will also potentially offer a 92.5 percent tax waiver on new property built on the site for 10 years and the repayment of development review costs. September 6: The Epoch Times: Communist China flexing its muscles; sends bombers and fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone China sent 19 military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sept. 5, continuing its aggressive posturing at the self-governing island, which scrambled jets in response. The incident has drawn concern from both current and former U.S. officials.  According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the incursion involved 14 fighters, four bombers, and an anti-submarine aircraft.   It was the third straight day that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decided to fly its aircraft into Taiwan’s aircraft defense zone.  An ADIZ is a publicly-declared area next to a state’s national airspace, in which approaching foreign aircraft must be ready to submit their identifiers and location. The area allows a state the time to judge the nature of the incoming aircraft and take defensive measures if needed. September 5: One America News Network: State senator says AZ election audit is real, all states should do them Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers (R) has called for an audit of the 2020 elections in all states ahead of upcoming results of the Arizona audit. In a series of tweets on Sunday, Rogers said the results of the Arizona audit would soon be released, despite recent delays.  Rogers stressed state legislators could not speed up the process, but the results would be “real.” She also urged all states to audit their 2020 elections in order to prevent fraud moving forward.  “When the Arizona audit drops, it is on the other 49 states to make sure they are doing audits. Start calling your reps and senators now,” she expressed on Twitter. “…We are not going to stop until we know the truth.” September 5: Fox News: Report: State Department, not the Taliban, stop rescue flights out of Afghanistan Americans engaged in the rescue of U.S. citizens, SIVs and green card holders left behind by Joe Biden in Afghanistan are horrified by what they describe as inexplicable delays from the US Department of State that are preventing evacuation flights from leaving the country.   State’s delays are recklessly endangering American lives, three different individuals involved in the private evacuation effort told Fox News.   Numerous individual private groups have said the only thing preventing the flights from leaving Afghanistan is the Biden State Department.    "This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call," one of those individuals, who has been integral to private evacuation efforts from Afghanistan, told Fox News.  "If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House's hands. The blood is on their hands," that individual said, adding: "It is not the Taliban that is holding this up – as much as it sickens me to say that – it is the United States government."  September 5: Fox News: Escaped Afghan doctor warns of human rights abuses An Afghan doctor and humanitarian whose life’s work was upended by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is warning that his homeland could become a hive of human rights abuses following Joe Biden’s much-criticized withdrawal of US forces.  "It was not a wise decision to leave a nation in a very, very hard situation," Dr. Wais Aria said. "People deserve to have their civil rights. The women deserve to have their rights."   Aria and his family were beaten by the Taliban on multiple attempts to reach Kabul’s airport before the final U.S. plane left. After spending days waiting outside the perimeter, they finally got in and are now safely in Virginia, where they’ve lived since 2017. September 5: The Daily Caller: Taliban holds plane with Americans on it at the airport; shades of Jimmy Carter’s hostage crisis The Taliban is preventing a plane carrying Americans from taking off from Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport in Northern Afghanistan, Republican Texas Rep. Michael McCaul said Sunday.  “We had six airplanes at Mazar-i-Sharif airport. Six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now,” McCaul said. ““zero” Americans have been able to leave the country since U.S. military forces left on Aug. 30,” he added. September 5: Townhall.com: Is a civil war likely in Afghanistan?  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said that it is "likely" that conditions of a civil war could develop in Afghanistan now that the U.S. no longer has a military presence in the region and that such a conflict could lead to the "reconstitution" of terror groups such as al-Qaeda or ISIS.  "I think there's at least a very good probability of a broader civil war, and that will then in turn lead to conditions that could in fact, lead to reconstitution of al Qaeda or a growth of ISIS or other myriad of terrorist groups," he continued.  The general noted that, now that U.S. troops have been pulled from Afghanistan, maintaining U.S. security and intelligence gathering in the region will be increasingly difficult.  Biden’s treatment of Afghans who assisted the US and who have been left behind to fend for themselves, the General did not say, will make the recruitment of human assets in Afghanistan all the harder. September 4: Fox News: Democrats in “panic mode” over California recall election; deploy over 700 operatives and spend more than $80 million in a state that has legalized ballot harvesting Democrats are in panic mode over the possible recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom.  Opponents have raised over $80 million to fight the September 14th recall -- seven times more than what supporters of the recall have done. Public employee unions are the biggest contributors to Newsom, but George Soros is in for more than $1 million.  The anti-recall (pro-Newson) campaign has deployed 700 staffers to target 10.3 million voters and take advantage of California’s 2016 legalization of ballot harvesting -- which allows political operatives to pick up and deliver mail-in ballots.  Here, in Texas, ballot harvesting has been outlawed because of it has been shown to open the opportunity for fraudulent voting, indeed there have been numerous instances in Texas where individuals have been charged in such schemes.  Governor Newson told the Sacramento Bee last month that he fears the impact of a successful recall "will be quite pronounced for many, many years, …I think it will be felt all across the country." September 4: The Washington Times: Planned Parenthood gets temporary relief from Texas “Heartbeat” law, other abortion providers are not so lucky A judge has temporarily shielded some Texas abortion clinics from being sued by, and only by, the state’s largest anti-abortion group under a new law banning most abortions.  The temporary restraining order was issued Friday by District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble in Austin in response to a Planned Parenthood request. Although the law remains in effect, the judge’s order specifically shields Planned Parenthood’s clinics from whistleblower lawsuits by the nonprofit group Texas Right to Life, its legislative director and people working in concert with the group. A hearing on a preliminary injunction request is scheduled for Sept. 13. The temporary restraining order does not stop Texas Right to Life lawsuits from non-Planned Parenthood abortion clinics in the state. It also doesn’t prevent people who aren’t affiliated with Texas Right to Life from suing Planned Parenthood.  The Texas “Heartbeat” law which prohibits most abortions after the heart beat of a baby can be heard, went into effect on September 1st. September 4: Townhall.com: Democrat Governor of Oregon sued by first responders over COVID vaccine mandate Gov. Kate Brown (D-OR) is being sued by police and firefighter groups over the state's vaccine mandate.  According to a local news outlet, The Fraternal Order of Police, a group of firefighters in Klamath Falls, and nine Oregon State Police are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Brown and the state of Oregon are named as defendants.   The lawsuit claims the executive order violates both the state and U.S. Constitutions, citing the First Amendment and freedom of religion and expression.  “Forcing them (the plaintiffs) to decide between their livelihoods and vindicating their statutory and constitutional rights is unconscionable and wrong,” the lawsuit states.  While Governor Brown strongly believes that Oregonians “…must have the ability to control our own bodies and make informed decisions about [their] health..." as it relates to a woman’s right to have an abortion; she apparently does not hold the same view as it relates to a person deciding whether to take a COVID vaccine.   September 4: Fox News: Top FDA officials quit amid White House failure to keep its promises over following the [COVID] science Joe Biden’s Sept. 20 deadline for rolling out the COVID booster shots has been marred by pushback from scientists, citing a lack of reliable scientific data, resulting in the recent resignations of two FDA senior officials. For some, the move contradicts his vow to "follow the science" on matters related to COVID policy.   According to the New York Times, public health experts are speaking out that keeping pace with the White House’s Sept. 20 timeline put increased pressure on scientists, who are analyzing the evidence, to proceed with the administration’s established strategy and timeline.   The issue was put on full display earlier this week, when two FDA officials - the director of the FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research & Review Marion Gruber, and its deputy director Phil Krause - filed their resignations from the agency, apparently over a disagreement they had with the FDA’s top vaccine official  and the Biden administration’s push to roll out the vaccine booster shots. September 3: The Daily Caller: While Biden claims “America is back” many allies are skeptical America is back” was President Joe Biden’s foreign policy mantra as he took office, but his disastrous handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan has shaken U.S. allies and given a green light to China on the global stage.  While global leaders were initially complimentary of Biden’s administration, many of those same allies have criticized America’s hasty retreat from Afghanistan. Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair went so far as say, “the abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars.'”  Blair was not alone in offering harsh words for Biden.  Norbert Röttgen, chairman of the German parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee said; “I say this with a heavy heart and with horror over what is happening, but the early withdrawal was a serious and far-reaching miscalculation by the current administration.  This does fundamental damage to the political and moral credibility of the West.” September 3: The Washington Free Beacon: Afghan refugees tested for COVID 19 after arrival in US not before Afghan refugees coming to the United States did not receive COVID-19 tests before departing Kabul, the State Department  said.  The State Department’s disclosure comes amid increased scrutiny of the Biden administration’s handling of more than 100,000 Afghans, who fled the country following the Taliban’s takeover. The agency requires COVID tests before it allows foreign travelers to arrive in the United States, but it waived the requirement for those who evacuated from Afghanistan.  "Given the extraordinary circumstances, a blanket humanitarian exemption was issued for the requirement of pre-departure COVID testing for all individuals the U.S. government transported by aircraft from Afghanistan," an agency spokeswoman said. September 2: One America News Network:  Texas “heartbeat” law takes effect after SCOTUS declines to hear abortionist’s challenge Texas has taken a major stride in supporting the sanctity of life. At midnight Wednesday, the state’s heartbeat bill went into effect. This allows private citizens with information about a criminal abortion to report it to law enforcement or sue any abortion provider who kills an unborn child after a heartbeat is detected. Additionally, any person who aids or abets these illegal abortions can also be sued.  Elizabeth Graham, Director of Texas Right to Life, said the law represents a turning point in the nation and is a huge victory for women.  “The point of the law is to protect unborn children and to recognize the humanity of the unborn child who has a heartbeat, who has fingers, toes, hair, eyes,” Graham contended. “And to empower the mother to choose life and feel like she can bring a child into the world with the multiple resources available.”  Graham went on to add, she hopes this law will push Planned Parenthood into providing women with options besides abortion, especially considering they have claimed 97 percent of their services do not include abortion. September 2: Townhall.com: Democrats in a panic after the 5-4 SCOTUS decision on the Texas “heartbeat” bill After the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday night to uphold the Texas heartbeat legislation, which bans abortion after six weeks, Democrats have launched into a panic over the potential of similar legislation being introduced and passed in states around the country.   As a result, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden are working to undermine the ruling – specifically, they are considering codifying the Roe v. Wade decision.   One reporter asked the White House press secretary, "Why does [Joe Biden] support abortion when his own catholic faith teaches it is morally wrong?"  Not answering the question Psaki responded, "I know you have never faced those choices, nor have you ever been pregnant but for women out there who have faced those choices, this is a difficult thing." September 2: United Press International:  New York City dealing with flooded streets from the remnants of Hurricane Ida Severe flooding in New York City after heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida led to at least 29 deaths throughout the region, authorities said Thursday as floodwaters deluged the city and leaders urged residents to stay inside.  New York City was inundated with rain overnight and caused mass flooding that brought travel above and below ground to a halt.  3.5 inches of rain reportedly fell in Central Park in one hour.  September 2: The Washington Times:  California teacher removed after she had her students pledge allegiance to the gay pride flag A California school district has removed from the classroom a teacher who took the U.S. flag down from her classroom and told her pupils to pledge allegiance to the gay-pride flag instead.  According to the Blaze, Kristin Pitzen has been placed on administrative leave in the Orange County Newport Mesa Unified School District.  ”We are aware that one of our teachers posted a video on their personal social media that caused alarm and concern related to saluting the American flag,” spokeswoman Annette Franco said. “The teacher is no longer in the classroom.” September 2: The Daily Signal: The Heritage Foundation’s publication reports on another effort to “cancel culture:” cutting off the ability to make online payments if the platform disagrees with your opinion! When White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that people who spread “misinformation” “shouldn’t be banned from one platform and not others,” she revealed the left’s chilling plan for censoring content that goes against the left’s narrative.  It is becoming increasingly clear that political leaders on the left and Big Tech are joining arms to not just de-platform dissident voices from social media, but to bar them from the digital space entirely, including from having the ability to make and receive payments online.  Fortunately, conservative commentator Dan Bongino has stepped up to address this issue in the digital payment space.  He recently announced the creation of  AlignPay, a new platform that pledges to process the digital payments of organizations, regardless of their political beliefs. The launch of AlignPay highlights an important point: One of the most effective ways for conservatives to counter censorship is to develop, support, and promote alternative platforms, thereby providing users with greater choice.  September 1: Fox News: Former US ambassador accuses Biden of leaving hundreds of Afghan women to die because of botched evacuation Despite a catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and bureaucratic red tape hindering outside rescue efforts along the way, non-government groups have been and are still working to help bring U.S. citizens and stranded Afghan allies to safety.  Among those at greatest risk under Taliban rule are women, who make up roughly half the country’s population and were severely oppressed during the Islamist group’s previous time in power in the late 1990s, according to Ambassador Kelley Eckels Currie, the former U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues.  Those same women now feel the most vulnerable, she said, especially lawmakers, judges and prosecutors who put terrorists and militants in jail – even as the Taliban has said it is offering a blanket amnesty to Afghans who worked with U.S. forces and that it will respect women’s rights, under sharia. September 1: Breitbart News: White House refuses to confirmed leaked report on a July Biden conversation with Afghan president about a concern over the apparent collapse of the Afghan government The White House Wednesday refused to address leaked details of a conversation between Joe Biden and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani revealing concerns about the government collapse as early as July.  “I’m not going to get into private diplomatic conversations or leaked transcripts of phone calls,” Biden press secretary Psaki told reporters.  The Reuters report revealed details of the transcript of the July 23 conversation, where Biden said, “There is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.” The report demonstrates that Biden knew the conditions in Afghanistan were going poorly but failed to take any corrective action, while all the time Biden publicly signaled confidence in the government’s defense against the Taliban.  The White House has repeatedly and falsely claimed that no one could have known Afghanistan could have fallen so quickly. September1: The Daily Caller: Afghanistan; Biden White House spins, dodges and stops short on questions about what went wrong Despite Joe Biden’s efforts to project his resolve in leaving Afghanistan, members of his administration have seemed reluctant to answer questions about things that went wrong.  At Wednesday’s White House press briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki skipped over a question about reports that American journalists were among those left behind in Afghanistan.  When a Fox News White House correspondent asked about constraints in getting people to the Kabul airport Psaki immediately pivoted talking about the number of people who were rescued.  She never did “circle back” to answer the initial question.  September 1: The Washington Times; Calif. Wildfires fan the flames as Gov. Newsom faces a recall election and accusations of forest mismanagement The calamitous California wildfire season is fueling the recall campaign against Gov. Gavin Newsom as opponents accuse the Democrat of inflating his forest management progress while putting fire prevention on the back burner.  The governor has been dogged by an investigation that found he overstated by 690% the acreage of overgrown forest treated by the state in 2020, scaled back former Gov. Jerry Brown’s Forest management goals and axed $150 million from the wildfire prevention budget.   Last week, CapRadio and NPR’s California newsroom followed up by revealing internal emails showing that CalFire removed key documents on Newsom’s forest treatment goals from its website on June 23, the same day as the original report.  The disclosures have pumped oxygen into the recall campaign. Opponents accuse Newsom of focusing on climate change instead of the tree thinning and brush clearing needed to prevent small blazes from erupting into infernos. September 1: The Epoch Times: New Orleans sets curfew to guard against crime after hurricane  Ida New Orleans has imposed a curfew following Hurricane Ida in a bid to prevent looting and other crime, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.  In a press briefing on Tuesday, Cantrell said the city’s police and the Louisiana National Guard will enforce the curfew that runs from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.  “There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to be on the streets of the city of New Orleans,” Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said at the briefing, referring to the curfew. August 31: The Daily Caller: 159 Members of Congress call for giving the 13 fallen the Congressional Gold Medal Nearly 160 House members signed on to a bill Tuesday that would posthumously award congressional gold medals to the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed in Afghanistan Thursday.  The  bill, originally brought forth by Lisa McClain (MI), garnered support from 137 other Republicans and 21 Democrats. It was unveiled one day after the last American plane took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, officially ending the longest war in American history.  “These heroic men and women are gone far too soon, and we must honor them for their bravery in helping U.S. citizens and Afghan allies safely evacuate Afghanistan,” McClain said in an accompanying press release. “My heart aches for the families and loved ones of our servicemembers. We will always remember their service and pay tribute to their sacrifice.” August 31: Fox News: Biden press secretary grilled on Biden’s broken promise not to strand any Americans in Afghanistan White House press secretary Jen Psaki was grilled Tuesday on whether Biden regrets promising to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan until every American citizen is out after he broke that promise by leaving more than a hundred behind Monday.  "We are going to get every American citizen out. That has not changed," Psaki said during her daily press briefing.  A reporter asked Psaki why Biden allowed his credibility to "go out the door" by making a promise to stay in the country until every American was evacuated.  "Well, first I would say the (Biden) remains committed to getting every American citizen who wants to get out, out," Psaki responded. "That’s an enduring commitment, one that will not change and one we’re going to focus on every single day."  Psaki cited Thursday’s terrorist attack in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. service members, saying a "risk assessment" determined the withdrawal must be completed by the deadline.  Another reporter later asked Psaki why Americans still in Afghanistan should trust Biden's commitment to get them out, when he broke his previous vow to get all Americans out before completing the withdrawal. August 31: Breitbart News: Biden admits to leaving 10% of the Americans in Afghanistan In his first address to the American people after completely pulling out of Afghanistan, Joe Biden admitted he was leaving ten percent of Americans, who the United States intended to evacuate, in the country now controlled by a jihadist organization.  During the speech Biden said, “the bottom line” — now that the U.S. evacuations are complete and service members will not be shuttling Americans and high-risk Afghans out of the country — is only “90 percent of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave. And for those remaining Americans, there is no deadline. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come out.”  By saying this, Biden is openly admitting to the country — and the world — there are still ten percent of Americans who the U.S. wanted to evacuate out of the country left there by Biden. August 31: The Washington Examiner: The U.S. surrender in Afghanistan may have lasting impact that will be felt for decades Retired generals and other military veterans believe the Afghanistan withdrawal will have a lasting negative impact that could last "for decades.”  Retired Maj. Gen. Joe Arbuckle said in a phone interview he wanted “accountability” because it is “one of the bedrock foundations of our military." That's why he believes Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Mark Milley should resign.  Arbuckle helped organize 88 retired generals and admirals to sign an open letter published by “Flag Officers 4 America” on Monday, coinciding with the U.S. final withdrawal from Afghanistan after the U.S. had poured 20 years, billions of dollars, and thousands of lives into the country. August 30: Fox News: Marine’s family slams Biden after his scripted” meeting with pregnant widow The family of one of the Marines killed in Afghanistan last week slammed  Joe Biden’s meeting with the Marine’s pregnant widow as scripted and a "total disregard" to the service member’s death.  Biden was at Dover, Delaware to attend the return of the 13 service members.  Lance Cpl. McCollum’s wife (Jiennah) was the only family member who got to speak with Biden.  Others refused to meet with him because they held Biden responsible for their fallen family member.  But Jiennah’s meeting with Biden didn’t go well.  Apparently he appeared to show a "total disregard to the loss of our Marine," talking instead of the service of his own veteran son, Beau Biden, and his death from brain cancer.  One of the corporal’s sisters said "You can't f--- up as bad as he [Biden] did and say you're sorry.  This did not need to happen, and every life is on his hands."  August 30: One America News Network: Biden Impeachment not out of the question, but a conviction is House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is not ruling out impeaching Joe Biden over his failure in Afghanistan. In an interview he said Congress has a constitutional responsibility to hold Biden and his officials accountable for the ongoing crisis.  McCarthy added, Biden didn’t share with Congress his plans and data on the withdrawal. He stressed Biden’s officials apparently evaded congressional oversight. McCarthy went on to say GOP lawmakers are collecting the data and they may draft articles of impeachment against Biden if it’s supported by facts. But with the Democrats in control of the House it is unlikely that articles of impeachment would be adopted.  Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Biden’s mishandling of the Afghan crisis is “much worse than Saigon.” The  Kentucky lawmaker said Vietnamese militants did not seek to attack the U.S. after the fall of Saigon in 1975 August 30: Fox News: Biden lies, retired naval aviator says after unsuccessfully trying to get American family access to Kabul airport Retired Navy Aviator Brett Odom, who is helping Americans evacuate Afghanistan, said on Monday that people were denied entry by the Taliban into Hamid Karzai International Airport.  "I worked for a family last night for about eight hours. They had been trying to get into the back gate, the south gate. It was the only one open yesterday and they had been turned back by the Taliban multiple times. They had been beaten. They were scared. They were terrified. And we could not get them through last night," Odom said.  Odom's comments came after a video reportedly showed Americans being denied.  Informal networks of people were able to get them through multiple checkpoints but “…they could not get into the gate. The gates were closed. They were outside, waving their passports. We are telling them to scream that 'I'm an American. I need to get on this airplane.' And no one let them. And you know, we heard that went all the way up to the top of the military leadership," Odom said.   Reportedly there are about 350 U.S. citizens still trying to leave Afghanistan and the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. August 29: The Daily Caller: Distraught Mother of Slain Marine: ‘All You … Who Voted For [Biden], You Just Killed My Son’ The mother of slain U.S. Marine Rylee McCollum spoke out in a radio interview Saturday saying, “Every Democrat who is listening, you did this to my son!”  “My son did die in vain. This was an unnecessary debacle. It could have been handled properly. They had months and months to remove everyone from Afghanistan and they chose not to. And so they sent in freaking what? 6,000 troops? And my son, through the laws of statistics, my son was one of the ones that just got blown up in a freaking terrorist bomb yesterday,” McCollum said.  “I never thought in a million years that he would die for nothing. For nothing. Because a feckless dementia-ridden piece of crap wanted a photo-op on Sept. 11, that’s what kills me!” August 29: Fox News: Marine who was fired for criticizing the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal says he’s resigning his commission, wants nothing from the Administration or the VA The U.S. Marine relieved of his command for calling out his superiors over the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal that led to the deaths of 13 service members said Sunday he was officially resigning.   In a tell-all video posted on social media, Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller acknowledged he was sacrificing a comfortable retirement by criticizing the way the withdrawal was handled.   "I could stay in the Marine Corps for another three years, but I don’t think that’s the path I’m on. I’m resigning my commission as a United States Marine, effective now," Scheller said. "I am forfeiting retirements, all entitlements, I don’t want a single dollar. I don’t want any money from the VA. I don’t want any VA benefits [even though] I’m sure I’m entitled 100%."   Many, including those who have served in theater, are fed up with the administration and those in the military who are attempting to cover up the debacle.  Scheller reiterated that he was forfeiting a potentially $2 million pension fund for the rest of his life by going through with his actions, but warned that going after "stability and money" makes one a "slave to the system" and makes you compromise on your principles. August 29: News Max:  U.S. air strike hits bomber targeting Kabul airport U.S. officials say an American drone strike has hit a vehicle carrying multiple Islamic State suicide bombers heading for the Kabul airport. A military official said the strike on Sunday caused “significant secondary explosions” indicating the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material in the vehicle.   The officials said Sunday that initial reports indicate there were no civilian casualties caused by the airstrike, but one official said they are assessing reports of any other collateral damage.  The attack comes as the United States winds down a historic airlift that saw tens of thousands evacuated from Kabul’s international airport, the scene of much of the chaos that engulfed the Afghan capital since the Taliban took over two weeks ago. After an Islamic State affiliate’s suicide attack that killed over 180 people, the Taliban increased its security around the airfield as Britain ended its evacuation flights Saturday.  U.S. military cargo planes continued their runs into the airport Sunday, ahead of a Tuesday deadline earlier set by Joe Biden to withdraw all troops.   However, Afghans remaining behind in the country worry about the Taliban reverting to their earlier oppressive rule — something fueled by the recent shooting death of a folk singer in the country by the insurgents. August 29: Townhall.com: Hurricane Ida knocks out all power to New Orleans Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Hurricane Ida has made landfall on Sunday as a Category 4 storm. It has been reported that all of Orleans parish is without power due to "catastrophic transmission damage."  The amount of people in the state without power before the eye made landfall was 614,000 Energy customers.   The storm was a Category 4 but close to Category 5 with sustained winds of 150 mph, 7 mph below a category five storm.  August 29: The Washington Times: Conservative investment funds fight back against “woke” corporations Fortune 500 corporate boardrooms increasingly have embraced a “woke” agenda — corporations like Gillette and Bank of America.  In response, some Wall Street players now are offering exchange traded funds (ETFs) that exclude left-wing companies, taking a page from the activist playbook that created investment programs to boycott enterprises deemed environmentally unfriendly.  A pair of investment programs that launched in the last year — the American Conservative Values ETF and the 2ndVote Advisers ETF — are led by directors who seek companies that have not launched ad campaigns or issued bulletins that they think prioritize liberal politics more than profits. August 28: The Washington Free Beacon: Biden loses before SCOTUS mount, two this week The Biden administration is struggling to find its footing in the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Thursday night’s decision ending the federal ban on evictions is the latest in a string of judicial reversals for Joe Biden. Earlier in the week, the Court ordered the president to maintain the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy for asylum-seekers. This spring, Biden appointees at the Justice Department blundered into a unanimous defeat in a little-noticed criminal sentencing dispute.  In some cases, the errors were self-inflicted. The administration has enacted policies knowing they were on uncertain legal ground, doubled down on assertions picked apart in the lower federal courts, and flipped positions in pending cases only to lose by a lopsided margin. In an unusual delay, Biden didn’t nominate a solicitor general, the government’s top representative in the High Court, until Aug. 11. August 27: The Daily Signal:  Biden is still in excuse mode over his Afghanistan debacle; blames Trump In his last speech Joe Biden continues the blame game on the unfolding chaos in Afghanistan fingering the terrorist group ISIS-K for the bombings at the Kabul airport and then delivering more excuses why the hole he dug isn’t getting deeper.    Moreover, he thinks working with the Taliban still makes sense.  It appears his spent more time saying he was taking the appropriate steps rather than having a serious plan to address a situation that is rapidly spiraling out of control.  Biden acknowledged the U.S. know the threat was coming while apparently not taking steps to counter it.   After creating an impossibly unsustainable situation with a chaotic no-plan plan for withdrawal—one in which he ignored the advice of military leaders and the intelligence community—he stated he was relying on the advice of military commanders. Some characterize this as being like Gen. Custer, after he was surrounded, asking his lieutenants, “What do we do now?”  Biden wrapped up his press conference by once again blaming former President Trump for the actions the Biden administration have taken. August 27: The Epoch Times: 13 US service men murdered by ISIS bombing in Kabul Thirteen U.S. service members were killed in a terrorist bomb attack outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday.  At least 18 service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow, AP reported.  The deaths mark the first U.S. military combat-related deaths in Afghanistan since February 2020 when Donald Trump was President.  The ISIS terrorist “managed to reach a large gathering of translators and collaborators with the American army, and then he detonated his explosive belt,” an ISIS group claimed.  Joe Biden threatened to retaliate for the bombing saying,  “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I’ll defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command,” Biden contended.  August 27: The Texas Tribune: 5th Circuit deals a blow to pro-abortionist, denying motions to stop Texas heart beat bill from going into effect A Texas law that would ban abortions after as early as six weeks is poised to take effect Wednesday, after a federal appellate court's rulings stymied efforts to block the law.  On Friday night, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals canceled a hearing planned for Monday, at which more than 20 abortion providers had hoped to persuade a federal district court in Austin to block the law from taking effect. Providers have sued to overturn the law which they contend is the nation's strictest and would create what they call a “bounty hunting scheme” in allowing members of the general public to sue those who might have violated the law. The law, would prohibit abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected without specifying a time frame,before many women know they are pregnant. But if there is a heartbeat, proponents of the law would say, there is also a life. August 26: Fox News: Biden makes it public saying he has a list of which reporters to call upon, let’s see, who is first? On Thursday, while taking questions from reporters, Joe Biden said, “Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell from NBC."   He then called upon correspondents from Reuters and the Associated Press who pitched him softball questions.   What overshadowed the questions asked was Biden’s remark that he was “instructed” to call on certain reporters, raising the specter that the questions they were to be asking was some how pre-scripted by White House staff.  "Who the hell is in charge here?" Washington Examiner commentator Tiana Lowe asked.   "Amazing. And everyone goes along with this," The Spectator contributor Stephen Miller wrote, adding, "He is not in charge." August 26: Fox News: Freshman Congressman calls for cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment Freshman Congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) called upon Kamala Harris and members of the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Biden from office following the botched – now turned deadly –  withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.  He went on to warn of China’s ambitions on the world stage, the resurgence of Russia, rising inflation, chaos at the southern border and other global predicaments threatening the U.S. – and argued that confronting them will take strong, decisive leadership.   "Joe Biden’s physical inability to lead is not a political talking point – it’s a demonstrable fact," Cawthorn said.   "He is not mentally fit to serve as president of the United States…  I cannot sit idly by and watch the nation that I love spiral into death and devastation because our leader cannot discharge his duties," he said. "There is no time to wait, the time for action is now."   August 26: The Washington Examiner: SCOTUS blocks Biden eviction moratorium The Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration's "targeted" eviction moratorium Thursday, saying Congress would have to act to enforce a federal pause on evictions meant to provide protections to renters while removing property owner protections during the coronavirus pandemic.  A majority of justices ruled in favor of petitioning landlords are "virtually certain" to succeed in arguing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its legal authority in issuing its newest moratorium earlier this month. The court vacated a lower court stay that blocked enforcement of a decision that already overturned a previous rendition of the moratorium.  August 26: News Max: Biden Administration gives Taliban a “hit list” of Afghans who helped the US Politico reported that the Taliban got the names from U.S. officials of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies who’d be allowed into the militant-controlled perimeter of the Kabul airport — permission that outraged critics called it a ''kill list."  Unnamed U.S. sources said the move was supposed to expedite the evacuation of fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the rapid Taliban takeover of the country.  ''Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,'' one unnamed defense official told Politico. ''It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.''  On the ground, the Taliban started blocking all but U.S. citizens and green card holders, stopping Afghan people who had assisted the U.S. over the past twenty years. August 25: Townhall.com: Screw Biden; CIA and US troops conducting rescue missions in Afghanistan To Americans who might be trapped in Afghanistan after August 31, the Biden administration has two words for you: “good luck.” Oh, you can send an email or something to let the Biden White House know you want to leave post-deadline, but the overall message is clear. You’re on your own. Biden is going to leave Americans behind and they’ve admitted it. The Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. military are conducting extraction operations to evacuate Americans using helicopters and ground troops as the window begins to close for rescuing all people at risk in Afghanistan.  According to US officials the CIA has launched clandestine operations to rescue Americans in and outside of Kabul in recent days.  The missions are using American military helicopters but under the operation and control of the CIA.   A congressional source knowledgeable about the evacuation effort said U.S. troops had gone into Kabul on joint missions with other allies to designated locations where they have picked up U.S. citizens, green-card holders, and Afghans who hold special visas for helping the U.S. military.  The air and ground operations are considered perilous under the current circumstances in the country as the U.S. has begun to assign priority on evacuating Americans over Afghans who are at risk. Those include the many thousands of Afghan interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. government but remain inside the country and face retribution from the Taliban. August 25: The Epoch Times: Moderate House Dems force Pelosi to change House rules in order to pass the $3.5 trillion budget resolution spending bill Speaker of the House Pelosi (D-CA) advanced Joe Biden’s unprecedented $3.5 trillion spending blueprint on Aug. 24, but only after resorting to a doubtful parliamentary procedure that, in essence, says that nine moderate Democrats that had voted earlier for a smaller measure but refused to support the increased spending, would have their votes counted as voting for passage.  The maneuver is of doubtful constitutionality.  Known alternatively as the “self-executing rule” and “deem and pass rule,” the maneuver was initially used when Franklin D. Roosevelt was President but debate still rages among legal scholars over its constitutionality.  Under the maneuver, a representative’s vote for one measure by the House is “deemed” to also apply in a specified manner to an entirely separate measure even when he or she decides not to vote on the separate measure. August 25: The Daily Caller: Don’t blame the troops, blame the elites in DC for the Afghanistan debacle America cowers and runs from yet another country in which we should never have had a military presence. What is it going to take for us to limit the power of Washington in all matters of importance?   The chaotic images of our botched evacuation of Afghanistan should further enforce what we all should know by now: we are not the world’s policeman. And watching what is going on in Chicago, Portland, Atlanta, etc., it’s clear we can’t even police our own cities.  This botched pull out of Afghanistan and the disjointed and dishonest speeches about it, is what you guys get when you elect a 78-year-old career politician with early-stage dementia. Rescuing Afghan translators that helped us is viewed as a must by Americans. We need them in the White House because daily Jen Psaki, the Pentagon spokesman and the Secretary of State Blinken rotate trying to interpret what Joe Biden is trying to say. August 25: Fox News: Americans encouraged to leave Afghanistan immediately but not to try and make it to the Kabul airport The United States embassy in Afghanistan has issued a statement warning Americans trapped in the country not to travel to the airport due to security threats.   "Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so," the statement from the embassy reads.  "U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately," the embassy added.  August 24: The Texas Tribune:  SCOTUS: Biden must comply with ruling to restart the “remain in Mexico” program for asylum-seekers The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Biden administration must comply with a lower court’s ruling to reinstate President Donald Trump’s policy that required many asylum-seekers to wait outside the United States for their cases to be decided.  The administration had asked the court to put on hold a federal judge’s order that the “remain in Mexico” policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) had to be immediately reimplemented. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled earlier this month that the Biden administration did not provide an adequate reason for getting rid of the policy, and that its procedures regarding asylum-seekers who enter the country were unlawful.  The court ruled 6 to 3 that the administration had not done enough to say why it was changing the policy (perhaps other than perhaps it was a Trump policy!). August 24: The Texas Tribune: Possible fallout from Washington Dems attempt to federalize elections could be to require DOJ approval for redistricting and changes to state voter laws The U.S. House on Tuesday passed a bill that could complicate both the coming round of redistricting in Texas and a voting restrictions bill currently under consideration in the state Legislature.  Known as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the bill would reinstate sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were written to protect people of color. Over the last decade, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back some of that landmark law’s provisions.  The bill passed along party lines, meaning all Democratic Texans in the U.S. House supported it and all Republican delegation members opposed it.  The prognosis in the Senate is unsure given that the bill will be subject to a filibuster which may allow the Republicans to block its consideration. August 24: The Daily Signal: HR 4; another attempt to Federalize elections The House Rules Committee voted Monday on rules governing debate on election legislation known as HR 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The controversial bill now goes to the House for a vote.   After Democrats failed to pass HR 1, a highly partisan piece of election legislation, they crafted HR 4, which the Heritage Foundation says is a danger to states’ election rights. HR 4 “gives federal bureaucrats control over all these state [election] rules all over the country,” says von Spakovsky, a former member of the Federal Election Commission. “It is an unbelievable invasion of state sovereignty.”   The bill is likely to pass along party lines in the House, but faces a battle in the evenly divided Senate, he says.  August 24: Fox News: Afghan allies turn to unofficial channels as the world is rocked by Biden inaction Chaos, confusion and terror have marked the Biden  Administration’s  Afghanistan withdrawal over the past week, with Americans and Afghan allies pleading for help escaping Taliban-controlled Kabul and uncertainty at the city’s U.S.-held airport.  And with special immigrant visa applicants cut off from escape by Taliban checkpoints, retired Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Rogers said that non-government organizations have been working through unofficial channels to try and help.  "Everyone is pissed about this even being necessary," he said. "But if [Joe Biden] doesn't want to step up and lead, someone else will."  Last week, Rogers helped raise the alarm that his former U.S.-contracted Afghan interpreter was trapped in Kabul, hiding from the Taliban and hoping to make it out of the country.  "It's embarrassing on an international scale that we are even in this situation," Rogers said. "It's insulting to not even have a number of Americans left to get out." August 24: One America News network:  House GOP: If any American’s injured or killed with the equipment Biden left behind in Afghanistan, their blood will be on Biden’s hands House Republicans, many of whom served in Afghanistan themselves, took to the steps of the Capitol building for their impassioned pleas to the Biden administration to get Americans safely out of Afghanistan. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) opened up the press conference to reassure those Americans still trapped in Afghanistan that despite the White House’s neglect, Republicans remained dedicated to their safe return home.  “To those Americans who are still abandoned behind enemy lines, we want to let you know you are our top priority,” he asserted. “Our number one priority here as House Republicans is to make sure every single American who has been stranded behind enemy lines is safely returned home to the United States.”  Congressman Banks (IN) said in Biden’s hasty withdrawal, the administration left the enemy with $85 billion worth of equipment. This included 75,000 vehicles, 200 airplanes and helicopters, more than 600,000 small arms and light weapons, night vision goggles and body armor.  He said, “if any of these weapons or this military equipment is used to harm, injure or kill any American now or anytime in the future, the blood is on Joe Biden’s hands.”  August 24: Judicial Watch: Colorado judge clears the way for a suit forcing the state to clean up its voter rolls A federal court has ruled Judicial Watch’s lawsuit can proceed against Colorado officials to force a cleanup of the state’s voter rolls.  The lawsuit was filed in October 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of itself and three residents of Colorado against the Colorado Secretary of State, and the State of Colorado for failing to clean the state’s voter rolls as required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).  The court’s decision came after Colorado filed a motion to dismiss the case.  The court ruled that the individual plaintiffs have standing to sue based on the fact that “noncompliance with the NVRA undermines the individual plaintiffs’ confidence in the integrity of the electoral process and discourages their participation [in elections].”   Chief District Judge Philip A. Brimmer also ruled that Judicial Watch’s allegations about Colorado’s voting lists were enough to allow the lawsuit to proceed. August 23: YouTube: Texas Election Integrity Bills need “Real Time” enforcement “Section 31.005 of the Texas Election Code needs to be amended to allow the Secretary of State to enforce, not only violations of voting rights, but also violations of the election code,” a former election official from Galveston County testified before the Texas House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies. The witness pointed to violations by Shelia Jackson Lee and the Fort Bend District Attorney which were allowed to occur in the 2020 election but for which there was no action taken to stop the infractions.   His recommendation was that the Secretary of State be given the authority to call DPS to investigate, to verify if a violation has occurred or is occurring, and to stop it.  This would leave the responsibility for prosecutions in the hands of the Attorney General while allowing the Secretary to act in real time.    August 23: The Daily Caller: Private team organizing flights out of Afghanistan say Biden has been an “impediment” to their evacuation FAST FACTS: - A team coordinating privately chartered flights out of Afghanistan said they’ve received no support from the Biden administration in trying to get Americans and vulnerable Afghans out of the country and that it’s been an ‘impediment’ to their efforts. - Former Virginia Congressman Scott Taylor described the lack of support from the administration as “frustrating” and “a massive f**k up.” The Biden administration has been an “impediment” to a private effort to get people out of Afghanistan, Robert Stryk, who is arranging privately chartered flights to get Americans and vulnerable Afghans out of the country said.   “The Brits and South Africans have been … awesome and heroic in getting people through the Mil Gate,” contended.  “What I am witnessing everyday is the very best and the very worst of America,” Stryk explained. “I have seen the humanity of private citizens who are contacting me and pledging their time, monies, and in some cases their lives to bring our citizens and these Afghan patriots out of harm’s way, while at the time personally experiencing the Biden administration’s abject failure to protect its citizens and those Afghans that fought and worked alongside of us.”  “It’s morally reprehensible,” Stryk said. “It’s been the U.S. private sector who has stepped in to save the blood and treasure the Biden administration is leaving behind.” August 23: The Washington Times: Mutually assured destruction; Moderate Dems battle out approach to the infrastructure bill and budget reconciliation House Speaker  Pelosi (D-CA) was poised to force an initial vote Monday evening on President Biden’s $3.5 trillion expansion of America’s social safety net, gambling that the president’s arm-twisting tactics were sufficient to bring a cadre of moderate Democrats to heel.  Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ) the moderate Democrats were refusing to support advancing the package, which is set to pass along party lines.  Instead, they argued that the House should take up Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, which passed earlier this month with a large bipartisan margin.  “Like the rest of America, we have waited far too long for legislation that will actually fix our nation’s infrastructure,” Gottheimer said. “That’s why the House can’t afford to wait months or do anything to risk passing the historic infrastructure package.” August 23: One America News Network: House Freedom Caucus slams Dems for $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill The House Freedom Caucus held a press briefing regarding Democrats’ wasteful spending plans. Amid the House’s return to the Capitol on Monday, members of the House Freedom Caucus laid out their perspective on both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion budget.   The group of Republicans slammed Democrats over their push for wasteful spending in both bills by saying further discussion needed to take place before they were passed. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) pointed out instead of the House reconvening to address the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, they came back to discuss Socialist Democrat spending bills that would rack up the national debt.   “Thousands of Americans are still on the outside of gates looking to try to get into the airport in Afghanistan, in Kabul,” he stated. “…Instead of having conversations about what we can do to push this administration to do its job, we’re here to spend $3.5 trillion we don’t have and we’re here to have the federal takeover of elections.” August 22: News Max: Governor Abbott tests negative for COVID after short illness Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose state is engulfed in a fourth COVID surge, said he tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday after having a "brief and mild" bout with the infection this week.  Abbott said he will continue to quarantine at the recommendation of doctors and will continue to work to open infusion centers for antibody therapy treatment across his state.  Abbott received a monoclonal antibody treatment, it said. It did not give any indication as to when the governor contracted the virus.    The highly infectious Delta variant continues to rampage across Texas and other states with low levels of vaccinations. August 21: The Epoch Times: PRC dream?  Taiwan will fall like Afghanistan Taiwan’s foreign minister accused Beijing of wanting to follow the Taliban’s footsteps by seizing control of the democratic island, saying the island has no desire to to subjected to communist rule.   The Afghanistan debacle has spurred debate about whether Taiwan would meet the same fate in the event of a Chinese invasion. The Chinese state media, meanwhile, have also seized the opportunity to cast Washington as an unreliable ally, pushing narratives such as “Afghanistan today, Taiwan tomorrow.”  The communist regime in China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory despite the latter being governed as a distinct entity, has threatened to use force to bring the island into its fold. “China dreams of emulating the Taliban, but let me be blunt: We’ve got the will [and] means to defend ourselves,” the  island’s foreign minister Joseph Wu said. August 21: The Washington Examiner: New MT seat may be up for grab The nonpartisan chairwoman of the Montana redistricting commission is confident the Democrats and Republicans on the panel will reach a consensus on the boundaries of the state’s two congressional districts.   Maylinn Smith said disagreements have been minimal among the two Democrats and two Republicans on Montana’s independent Districting and Apportionment Commission. But that could change as the panel grapples with drawing two congressional districts after population growth earned the state a second representative in the House for the first time in three decades. August 20: Fox News Carlson: Biden officials are turning on him We’ve learned a lot in the past five days. Maybe the important thing we’ve learned is that Joe Biden is not capable of running the country. Biden is senile. Saying that out loud is not an attack. Any decent person feels sorry for him, watching him gaze vacantly into the middle distance, or stumble like a drunk man trying to cross an icy street as he careens through his prepared remarks. There’s no joy in watching any of that. That could be any of us someday. It’s not Biden’s fault he can’t think clearly. It’s an indictment of the people around him.   In the months before last November’s election, Biden’s own family knew perfectly well that he was in profound cognitive decline. They were worried about it.   Anyone who’s been paying attention had already caught on to this, of course. But until recently, it didn’t seem to matter a whole lot.   But in the last week, the entire United States military has just been humiliated by illiterate peasants in turbans — and if that’s not insulting enough, many of them were carrying our rifles as they did it.  August 21: The Epoch Times: Pentagon confirms Americans have been beaten in Afghanistan Americans have been beaten in Afghanistan, a U.S. military official said Saturday.  A day after  he said the military was aware of reports that Americans were beaten by Taliban terrorists, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that “we know of a small number of cases where some Americans … have been harassed, and in some cases, beaten.”  But he down played the total number.  The stunning admission came as the U.S. Embassy warned Americans against traveling to the U.S.-held airport in Kabul, where thousands of people are trying to enter to escape the country before American troops leave.  The U.S. military has largely chosen not to conduct operations outside the airport, leaving Americans and Afghans to fend for themselves until they reach the facility. August 20: The Daily Caller: Boots on the ground conflict with White House messaging on Afghanistan The airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, is pure chaos and evacuation flights haven’t taken off in hours, CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward told the network Friday. Ward, speaking live from Afghanistan, detailed scenes from the airport in Kabul, where swarms of people are desperately trying to get through the gates in the hopes of catching a flight out of the country. Ward said she and her team had been at the airport for 12 hours “and on the inner field for eight hours” before pushing back on how the administration is speaking about the situation.  “During the last eight hours, the time that we’ve been waiting here, we have not seen a single U.S. flight evacuate people,” Ward reported.   The CNN correspondent also highlighted how the reality in Kabul differs greatly from the “talking points” Americans are hearing from the Pentagon and the White House. She said the scene on the ground “shocked her,” in part because officials have been offering up different comments on the situation.  “Listening to the talking points  … I thought this whole thing was moving along swimmingly now,” she said. “And yet here I am, 12 hours later, and I haven’t seen a plane take off in eight hours. And I’m watching children coming up to me and saying, ‘please could you get me some food.’ So, it is clearly not working.    August 20: The Washington Free Beacon: Biden Admin has no plan in place to keep cash out of the hands of the Taliban As the Biden administration scrambles to evacuate American personnel from Afghanistan, it’s overlooking the Taliban's plans to seize some $10 billion in assets held by Afghanistan's central bank, according to congressional foreign policy leaders.  Somewhere between $18 and $20 million in cash sits in the Afghan central bank's vaults and is likely to fall into the Taliban's hands unless the United States attempts to intercept the funds and fly them out of the country—a scenario that sources say is unlikely as the Biden administration struggles to pull Americans out of Taliban-controlled Kabul.  A Biden official said all Afghan assets held as investments in the United States—which amount to around $7 billion—have been frozen and "will not be made available to the Taliban." The Afghan central bank has around $10 billion in total assets, most of which are stored outside the country and out of the Taliban's reach in the short term. August 19: The Associated Press: Biden blames Trump-Afghanistan peace accord, while choosing not to use the “escape” clause As President Donald Trump’s administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February 2020, he optimistically proclaimed that “we think we’ll be successful in the end.” His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, asserted that the administration was “seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation.”  Eighteen months later, Joe Biden is pointing to the agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, as he tries to deflect blame for the Taliban overrunning Afghanistan in a blitz. He says it bound him to withdraw U.S. troops, setting the stage for the chaos engulfing the country. But Biden can go only so far in claiming the agreement boxed him in. It had an escape clause: The U.S. could have withdrawn from the accord if Afghan peace talks failed. They did, but Biden chose to stay in it, although he delayed the complete pullout from May to September.  In the intervening three months he also failed to plan for the peaceful evacuation of US citizens and those Afghans who assisted the US during their time in country. August 19: The Washington Examiner:  State Dept. Officials warned Biden of need to evacuate civilians; three weeks before the Taliban takeover U.S. diplomats issued an internal memo last month urging top State Department officials to take urgent action with evacuations as the Aug. 31 military withdrawal deadline approached. The cable warning of the possible fall of Kabul soon after the troop pullout, sent through the agency's confidential dissent channel on July 13, pressed the Biden administration to begin collecting information from Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas and start evacuation flights no later than Aug. 1, sources have said.   Lawmakers in Washington and others have leveled severe criticisms at the Biden administration for underestimating the speed by which Kabul fell into Taliban hands, with accusations that officials completely missed the threat altogether and congressional hearings already being called to assess the debacle. August 19: The Epoch Times: Moderate Dems may imperil the Biden agenda Troubles continue among congressional Democrats’ loose coalition of members as moderates in both chambers try to pull the party towards the center and progressives try to push it further left.  Recently, Democrats have squabbled over whether Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) $3.5 trillion budget resolution and the $1.2 trillion Senate-passed infrastructure bill should be considered together. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has expressed that she intends to force a vote on both bills at the same time as part of what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called Joe Biden’s “two-track strategy.”  But some moderate Democrats in the House are opposed to this move.   Nine moderate Democrats wrote Speaker Pelosi urging the speaker to consider the infrastructure bill separately from the budget resolution.  “We urge our House colleagues to follow the same path as the Senate: vote first on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and then consider the budget resolution,” the letter reads. They rejected the idea that the House should “hold off on considering the Senate infrastructure bill for months—until the reconciliation process is completed.”   They concluded by saying that they “will not consider voting for a budget resolution until the bipartisan Infrastructure bill is signed into law.” In this they would join the 212 House Republicans, who will undoubtedly oppose passage of the pricey budget resolution. This move would be enough to negate House Democrats’ slim nine-seat majority, bringing a vote on both proposals at the same time to be rejected 221-211.  Meanwhile, Pelosi is facing an equal challenge from House progressives, who have said that they will not vote to pass the infrastructure bill without passing the budget resolution. August 19: Fox News: Taliban going house to house, hanging people who helped the US As the U.S. military and Department of State rush to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies from Kabul’s airport, Taliban checkpoints are cutting off many from freedom and safety – and reports on the ground indicate the militants are summarily executing people who helped U.S. forces over the years.  Ryan Rogers, a retired Marine sergeant, said the interpreter he worked with during the bloody 2010 battle of Marjah in Helmand province is currently trapped in Kabul, prevented from reaching the airport as Taliban fighters seek out and murder former Afghan commandoes and interpreters.  "He told me yesterday they hung three [Afghan National Army] commanders that they had found," he said. "And that close to the place that he’s hiding, they’re going house-to-house and that they sent a transmission out saying they had plans for the people that operated with America." August 19: The Epoch Times: Biden Administration curtailing arrests of Illegals on the border; Judge blocks Biden from limiting arrest of illegal immigrants A federal judge ruled Thursday that Joe Biden’s administration cannot, for now, curtail arrests of illegal immigrants, delivering yet another setback to the White House’s immigration agenda.  Trump appointee U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton granted a preliminary injunction sought by the states of Texas and Louisiana against two memorandums issued by the Administration ealier this year that sought to “prioritize” certain categories of illegal immigrants.  The case involves an immigration law provision that stipulates that illegal immigrants who had committed crimes shall be taken into federal custody after they’re released, but Administration’s memos attempted to direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) resources to detain illegal aliens based on the nature of the crime. Texas and Louisiana argued that the memo would prevent ICE agents from arresting and deporting other illegal aliens who had a criminal history.  Both states have seen rising costs related to detention facilities and an increase in crimes traceable to the memos, Tipton wrote in his 160-page order.  “The Court concludes the potential harms to the States arising out of the Memoranda outweigh any potential harms to the Government. The Court also concludes the public interest is served, rather than undermined, by an injunction,” he wrote. August 18: Fox News Business: Former DNI: The problem in Afghanistan is not the intel but Biden Admin not listening to the intel Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe said “I think where you need to start on this [Afghanistan debacle] is an understanding, when this happened, so many people were saying, ‘Oh my gosh, how could this have gone so possibly wrong? It must have been an intelligence failure.’  Let me be clear, it was not an intelligence failure. It was a failure to listen to intelligence, which is something that early on has become a trend in the Biden administration that has led to so many of the problems that they've had.    When I was the DNI  we correctly assessed that this is precisely what would happen if we didn’t have a conditioned-based withdrawal, which is exactly the way this plan was put together. It had as its criteria: Number one, Get all of our kids home safely. Number two: We’re going to give us the best chance of ensuring that Afghanistan is never going to be used as a safe harbor to attack the United States or our allies again. The best way to do that was to ensure the withdrawal went through what folks referred to as ‘conditional’ or ‘conditioned.’   Really what I view it as is a series of gates or circumstances that had to be met, and the very first gate was President Trump directly communicating to the Taliban leader [Ghani] Baradar that in the course of this withdrawal, if a single American is harmed at the hands of the Taliban, I will take you out the way I took out Qasem Soleimani and the way I took out [Abu Bakr] Al-Baghdadi. Because of that, not a single American lost a life in the last 11 months of our administration.” August 18: Rasmussen Reports: Poll shows most wouldn’t vote for Biden again Most voters would not vote to reelect Joe Biden, and a significant number who voted for him in 2020 now regret their choice.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the next presidential election were held today, 37% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for Biden. Forty-three percent (43%) would vote for former President Donald Trump, and 14% say they would vote for some other candidate. (Survey)   The survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on August 16-17, 2021 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. August18: News Max: GOP flips Connecticut state seat; could impact California and Virginia Special elections for the state legislature rarely attract attention beyond the boundaries of their states.  But in Connecticut’s 36th State Senate District, which Joe Biden swept last November, the victory of Republican Ryan Fazio Tuesday night was indeed drawing national attention.  Some observers even believe that Fazio’s running on a strong anti-tax line might encourage Republicans to do the same in the California gubernatorial recall Sept. 14 and the Virginia race for governor in November.  "Biden won this district by 25 points in 2020, we flipped it RED!" tweeted Republican National Chairman Ronna McDaniel soon after Fazio was declared the winner. Small businessman and Resident Town Meeting (RTM) member Fazio rolled up a 50%-to-47% win over liberal Democrat and gun contro activist Alexis Gevanter.  In the closing days of the campaign, Fazio strongly contrasted his commitment to "fiscal responsibility" with Gevanter’s support for "a new gas tax."  August 17: ZeroHedge.com: China moves under security and diplomatic guise to pilfer Afghan trillions Kyle Bass is warning that China - which announced it was ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with the Taliban within mere hours after they toppled the Afghan government - is going to "move in under security and diplomatic guise" to pilfer Afghanistan's trillions in mineral deposits."On the basis of fully respecting the sovereignty of Afghanistan and the will of all factions in the country, China has maintained contact and communication with the Afghan Taliban and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue," said Chinese spokeswoman Hau Chunying.  Three weeks ago Beijing hosted Taliban leaders as the Biden administration embarked on its "hasty withdrawal" from Afghanistan that led to its 'hasty' collapse.  Afghanistan is plagued with a curst of plenty.  It is projected that they have upwards of $3T worth of minerals. The US Pentagon believes that just one province has the largest lithium deposit in the world and it is highly likely that China is moving to get access to these resources under the guise of security and diplomacy.  August 17: News Max: Lawmakers to probe Biden Administration over “horrifying” situation in Afghanistan Members of Congress, including many of Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, said on Tuesday they were increasingly frustrated with events in Afghanistan, vowing to investigate what went wrong.  "The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past 20 years," Sen. Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.  "We are now witnessing the horrifying result of many years of policy and intelligence failures," Menendez said.   Menendez said his committee would hold a hearing on U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, including negotiations between former Republican President Donald Trump's administration and the Taliban and the Biden's administration's execution of the withdrawal.  Committee Republicans said they wanted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify, "to understand why the State Department was so ill prepared for the contingencies unfolding before us," according to a letter sent to Menendez. August 17: Fox News:  Astonishing: Joe Biden has not talked to any world leaders since the Taliban took over the country in quick order and the administration’s plan seems to be to rely upon the terrorist to let 10,000 Americans into the Kabul Airport unharmed The Biden administration's downplaying of how the U.S. left Afghanistan behind, "stunned" “Special Report” host Bret Baier on Tuesday who expressed his "shock."   Baier: “I was stunned… From my analysis point of view, if the plan is that you’re going to tell more than 10,000 Americans who are scattered throughout Afghanistan, Kabul and other cities to make it to the airport and trust that the ring of Taliban fighters who surround the airport are suddenly going to get the word from their leaders to let them in and not have any problems, and that’s the White House plan, that’s stunning to me.  I think there are a number of things said in that press briefing that just shocked me. I think the false equivalence that you had the decision – leave 2,500 troops, get the evacuation to happen and then pull the troops out, keep Bagram Airbase, once you lost Bagram Airbase and the air cover for the Afghan security forces, all of that changes the dynamic. And now you are trusting the Taliban who just recently put out a statement saying, ‘Death to America’ in the past few weeks.” August 17: One America News Network: Pentagon says Kabul airport is secure and flights to retrieve US and Afghan allies have resumed U.S. officials reported the Kabul airport has been secured and evacuation flights have resumed. During a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday, Biden officials added they have been in contact with the Taliban to ensure safe passage for evacuees.  However, some reports mentioned the Taliban set up checkpoints on roads leading to the airport and positioned militants in a circle around the facility. According to the White House, 11,000 American citizens were confirmed to be stuck in Afghanistan and just 150 have been rescued.  When grilled on the unorganized evacuation as well as reports of the Taliban beating and blocking people from passing through checkpoints, National Security Agency Adviser Jake Sullivan continued to downplay the dire situation.  “First, the earliest evacuation flights in any evacuation tend not to have every seat filled because the process of getting any evacuation underway has a throughput issue,” he explained. “Second, in terms of people being turned away, by and large, what we have found is that people have been able to get to the airport. In fact, very large numbers of people have been able to get to the airport and present themselves.” August 17: News Max: Nearly 70% disapprove of Biden’s mishandling of the  situation in Afghanistan  As Joe Biden began to explain Monday why the U.S. policy on Afghanistan has resulted in a disastrous ending, a just-completed Trafalgar survey showed that nearly 70% of American voters nationwide disapprove of his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.  The poll showed that 69.3% of American voters voicing disapproval, a strong 59.5% said they "strongly disapprove" and only 9.8% said they simply "disapprove."  More significantly, the survey found disapproval of Biden to be across the board.  Among Independents, 74.8% said they disapproved of the policy and among them, 65.8% said they "strongly disapproved." August 16: Fox News: Leon Panetta (D) calls Afghanistan a “Bay of Pigs” moment for Biden: “Our credibility right now is in question” Former Democrat Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Monday the unfolding debacle in Afghanistan was a "Bay of Pigs" moment for President Joe Biden, referring to the ill-fated, U.S.-backed effort to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.  Biden has come under sharp criticism for the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan as the Taliban seizes control, and Panetta was asked by CNN's John King what this moment meant for the president.  "In many ways, I think of John Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs, you know?" Panetta said. "It unfolded quickly and the president thought that everything would be fine and that was not the case. But President Kennedy took responsibility for what took place. I strongly recommend to President Biden that he take responsibility and admit the mistakes that were made." Unfortunately, Biden has decided to blame the debacle on former President Trump. August 16: The Washington Free Beacon: What will Joe do if China attacks Taiwan? China touts “US Humiliation” in Afghanistan in warning to the Island nation China says "U.S. humiliation" in Afghanistan should be a warning sign to Taiwan and other U.S allies in the region that the American military "won't come to help" if war breaks out in the future.  As Taliban militants reclaim control of war-torn Afghanistan after the Biden administration's decision to remove all U.S. troops from the country, China is stepping in to fill the power vacuum. Communist Party officials have been talking to Taliban leaders, and China's embassy in Afghanistan is operating normally, even as the United States conducts an emergency evacuation of its personnel in the country.  Chinese state-controlled media and Communist Party loyalists gloated on Sunday over America's "humiliation" as the Taliban marched into the Afghan capital, Kabul, forcing U.S.-backed president Ashraf Ghani to flee the country while his government crumbled. China is now offering to fund post-war construction efforts in Afghanistan as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, a sweeping Communist Party infrastructure project that has helped the CCP gain a foothold in many countries across the globe. August 16: The Washington Times: “Promises are being broken” as US strands Afghan allies Nearly 20,000 Afghans who assisted the U.S. in its war and nation-building efforts — and perhaps 50,000 of their spouses and children — are in danger of being stranded by the county’s chaotic collapse, putting faces on the human toll of America’s withdrawal.   U.S. planners figured they had at least until the end of the month, when the American military commitment expires, and perhaps months more while Afghan government forces fought the Taliban advance, to get as many allies as possible out of the country.  But the stunning abdication of the government over the weekend upended that timetable, leaving the Biden team scrambling to try to keep one airport open to give people who managed to make it to Kabul a chance to flee. August 16: The Epoch Times: Strong demand for gas powered vehicles drives Detroit production plans and clouds Biden’s 2030 goal for electric vehicles Automakers in North America plan to build more pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles than electric vehicles well into the late 2020s, with strong consumer demand for gasoline-powered vehicles charting sales trends that run counter to the Biden administration’s goal of boosting electric vehicles (EVs) to half the market by 2030, according to internal production forecasts reported on by Reuters.  Joe Biden signed an executive order in August establishing the goal of making half of all new vehicles sold in the United States either hybrid or fully electric by 2030. Biden’s order also set a new schedule for the development of new long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards to tackle pollution and other objectives.  The outstanding question remaining is whether purchasers will buy these vehicles?  So far, it is doubtful that the love for gas powered vehicles will dwindle in favor of electric vehicles. August 16: Texas Scorecard: Cruz objects and kills Senate consideration of a federal takeover of elections In another blow to Democrats in D.C. and the Texas Legislature, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, blocked Senate Democrats’ latest attempt to give the federal government control over states’ voting rules.  Last Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–NY) tried to pass Democrats’ already rejected election-takeover legislation by asking for “unanimous consent” to consider the measure immediately following a 15-hour debate on a $3.5 trillion federal spending bill.  Cruz shot down Schumer’s attempt to slip through a revised version of the anti-election integrity bill before lawmakers’ August recess, raising the single objection needed to kill the vote. August 16: Fox News: US flights out of Kabul suspended as Afghan’s cling to US C-17 aircraft  Fast Facts: - U.S. forces at Kabul International Airport fired into the air on Monday in an attempt to gain control of the crowd that is desperate to leave the country after the Taliban takeover, a report said. - A video is widely circulating on social media Monday morning purportedly showing Afghans clinging onto the side of an American C-17 aircraft leaving Kabul airport in a desperate attempt to flee the Taliban.  - The Department of Defense is preparing to immediately house thousands of Afghan refugees on American military installations, including Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. - Meanwhile top Biden official admits fall of Afghanistan 'unfolded at unexpected speed' Heavily armed Taliban fighters swept into Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on Sunday after the government collapsed, and the Afghani president fled the country, signaling the end of the United States’ 20-year effort to rebuild the nation after the withdrawal of the U.S. military from the region.  An administration spokesman said, "The president did not think it was inevitable that the Taliban were going to take control of Afghanistan.  He thought the Afghan national security forces could step up and fight because we spent 20 years, tens of billions of dollars, training them, giving them the best equipment, giving them support of U.S. forces for 20 years."   August 15: One America News Network: Judge gives go ahead for Nunes  defamation suit against the Washington Post  A federal judge has ruled in favor of Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) and his defamation suit against the Washington Post. In a recent interview, the California lawmaker said he looks forward to deposing the Post as part of his suit.  The judge ruled against the Washington Post’s motion to dismiss the defamation claim last week, after a 2017 article described what it called a “late night visit” by Nunes to the White House. The Post later issued a correction, saying Nunes pointed out he didn’t believe the Obama administration had been wiretapping Trump Tower. According to the federal judge, the Washington Post wrote and published the article with “at least reckless disregard of the truth that it had previously reported.”  Nunes said the process may take a few months, saying he’s trying to track people down from five years ago and hold them accountable August 15: Fox News: White House on vacation while Taliban takes over Afghanistan at a speed unexpected by world leaders. Press office not to be found. Afghan President flees the country White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is taking a break from her duties at the same time as controversy surrounds the silence of Joe Biden, who is on vacation while the Taliban quickly seizes control of Afghanistan.  Fox News sent questions to Psaki's White House email address Sunday morning and received an auto-reply.  Hours later, on Sunday evening, Fox News attempted once again to reach the White House spokeswoman.  The same auto-reply, stating that the voice of the White House would not be available for the next week, was sent. August 15: The Texas Scorecard: Texas Supreme Court upholds Abbott ban on mask mandates in Texas After a number of school districts, cities, and counties began issuing their own local mask mandates, in defiance of an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott expressly prohibiting the action, the Texas Supreme Court is temporarily upholding Abbott’s prohibition.  Last week, courts in Bexar and Dallas counties issued temporary restraining orders against Abbott’s prohibition on mask mandates. That move came as some local governments—especially school districts—issued new mask requirements as classes are set to resume around the state.  On Sunday evening, the Texas Supreme Courtissued a stay order on the TROs, effectively keeping Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in place until the case is formally decided, which could take several weeks.  Several jurisdictions around the state are defying Abbott’s order until the Texas Supreme Court makes its final decision. August 14: The Epoch Times: How inflation impacts those on fixed incomes A federal judge has ruled in favor of Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) and his defamation suit against the Washington Post. In a recent interview, the California lawmaker said he looks forward to deposing the Post as part of his suit.  The judge ruled against the Washington Post’s motion to dismiss the defamation claim last week, after a 2017 article described what it called a “late night visit” by Nunes to the White House. The Post later issued a correction, saying Nunes pointed out he didn’t believe the Obama administration had been wiretapping Trump Tower.  According to the federal judge, the Washington Post wrote and published the article with “at least reckless disregard of the truth that it had previously reported.”  Nunes said the process may take a few months, saying he’s trying to track people down from five years ago and hold them accountable.  August 14: One America News Network: CA Gov candidate; elect me and get rid of mask and vaccine mandates California GOP gubernatorial candidate, Larry Elder, has promised to repeal mask and vaccine mandates if elected governor. Speaking to a crowded church on Thursday, the Republican show host said he believes Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) locked down California harder than any other state in the union.  The Bay Area church was chosen specifically because they have racked up $1 million in fines for defying COVID restrictions. Elder said all such restrictions on the people, businesses and churches in California would be lifted as his first act of governor. August 14: News Max: Federal judge orders Biden to revive the remain in Mexico asylum program A federal judge ordered the Biden administration to revive a policy begun under former President Donald Trump that forces immigrants seeking U.S. asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their applications are pending.  U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, ruled that the Biden administration “failed to consider several critical factors,” including the benefits of the Remain in Mexico policy, before ending the program.  It’s another setback for Joe Biden following a January ruling by a different judge in Texas that temporarily blocked the new administration’s plan to pause deportations of undocumented immigrants for 100 days.  Friday’s decision came in a lawsuit filed by the Republican-led states of Texas and Missouri, which claimed the suspension of the program was worsening conditions at the border and allowing criminals to slip into the country.  Biden suspended the Remain in Mexico program the day after he office on Jan. 20., amid criticism that it pushed migrants into squalid and dangerous housing south of the border. August 13: The Washington Examiner: Lindell talks about the attack on him The “MyPillow” CEO Mike Lindell described the alleged assault he says took place at his hotel Wednesday night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he is hosting a cyber symposium on 2020 election fraud claims this week.  Apparently two men approached to take a photo, and after one was taken, a third man "came up out of nowhere" to also ask for a photo, at which time he was accosted, Lindell told Flashpoint, a conservative talk show. August 13: The Epoch Times: Dying Railroads getting $66 billion under infrastructure bill A shiny passenger train racing across long empty stretches of American plains may be iconic, but it’s an economic anachronism, experts say.  Even so, the Senate’s infrastructure bill gives $66 billion toward the repair of Amtrak lines—nearly 60 cents to Amtrak for every dollar the bill put toward highways.  This figure doesn’t reflect the way Americans actually travel, said Cato Institute senior fellow Randal O’Toole. People drive 840 times more distance than they take Amtrak.  Unfortunately, travel by rail has been on the decline for years.  August 13: One America News Network: SC Gov signs open carry with training bill South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), along with his lieutenant governor and members of the State Assembly, took part in a ceremonial signing of the Open Carry with Training Act as the state took a step toward restoring constitutional freedoms for its residents at the Palmetto State Armory in Greenville.  The new law will allow for any legal gun owner 21 and older in the state, who owns a concealed carry permit, to open carry in South Carolina. In addition, those individuals will not need to respond to an officer if they ask to see a permit, unless there is probable cause.  Those who apply for these permits after the law goes into effect, will have to go through at least eight hours of training. August 13: Fox News: First female combat vet and Senator laments Afghan collapse and Biden's actions Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IO), the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate, condemned the potential collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban, as the insurgent group gains control of one provincial capital after another in short order ahead of  Biden’s August 21 troop withdrawal date.  Ernst blamed the president for the conditions on the ground, as the Pentagon engaged in a mission to help evacuate Americans from the U.S. embassy in Kabul.  While pentagon spokesmen made themselves available this week, Joe Biden remained silent and left for a vacation at Camp David in the midst of the impending crisis. Ernst said, "This is a very grim reality, not just for the United States but for so many of our partners around the world to see Afghanistan fall like this. It is all on President Biden's shoulders." August 12: FrankSpeech.com: Mike Lindell attacked in his hotel and cyber symposium participant has his computers seized (video; requires email address/phone number to access) Mike Lindell and Phil Waldron report on efforts taken in attempts to disrupt the “My Pillow” guy’s three day cyber symposium in which cyber security experts address issues related to election integrity and abnormalities in the compiling of election results.  Reportedly Lindell was physically attacked at his hotel and a cyber security expert’s house was raided and all his electronics were taken by authorities.  The video addresses precautions and steps the symposium’s leaders have taken and what the participants should be aware of. August 12: Fox News: Biden heads for vacation as multiple crises escalate; [oh well, it probably won’t matter cause he’s not there half the time anyway!] Biden departed the White House for a vacation in Wilmington, Delaware as multiple crises escalated Thursday, most notably the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan that has forced the Pentagon to send troops to the country in a desperate attempt to help Americans there escape.  The Pentagon announced Thursday that the military is sending two Marine and one Army infantry battalion, roughly 3,000 troops, to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in an effort to provide security for embassy personnel and other Americans trying to evacuate the country. An additional 3,500 troops out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina will deploy to Kuwait as a stand-by force in case needed.  The deployments come as the security situation in Afghanistan has quickly deteriorated in recent weeks, with Taliban forces rapidly taking over much of the country as they close in on the capital city of Kabul. Some intelligence assessments of the situation on the ground are dire, with one assessment predicting the Taliban could take control of the capital within a month. August 12: News Max: The SCOTUS lifts NY ban on evictions The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday lifted New York state's ban on residential evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, handing a victory to a group of small landlords that challenged a moratorium that had been slated to expire on Aug. 31.  The justices granted an emergency request by the landlords to lift the ban on eviction proceedings while litigation over the dispute continues. The nine-member court's three liberal justices dissented from the decision.  A lower court in June rejected landlords' argument that the moratorium violated their rights to due process of law and free speech under the U.S. Constitution. August 12: Breitbart News: The Democrat Left; No amnesty for illegals, No infrastructure bill! Democrats within the Progressive Caucus are alerting lawmakers they will block the so-called bipartisan infrastructure bill, which 19 Senate Republicans voted for, unless amnesty for millions of illegal aliens is passed through Congress.  Progressive Caucus Democrats said they plan to oppose the bill so long as moderate Senate Democrats and Republicans oppose passing a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that includes amnesty for illegal aliens.  August 12: The Washington Examiner:  Texas DPS deputized to track down missing Dems for arrest and return to the Capitol Law enforcement officers in Texas were deputized Thursday to "immediately" begin tracking down Democratic lawmakers whose extended absence from Austin has denied the state House of Representatives a quorum for over a month.   The House sergeant-at-arms, who received 52 civil arrest warrants for the missing lawmakers earlier this week, took the initiative after the Texas Supreme Court blocked more attempts to keep top officials from ordering the Democrats' arrest. Three Harris County Democrat judges granted orders, which the state Supreme Court stayed, to block the arrests of the 45 Democrats.  Speaker Phelan said the rounding up of the missing lawmakers will begin “in earnest immediately.” August 12: The Washington Times:  Stay out of the way: Oil states urge Biden to uncork US drilling instead of turning to OPEC Republican leaders in oil-and-gas states want Joe Biden to get behind domestic producers instead of pleading with foreign governments to pump more crude as the administration seeks to counter surging fuel prices.  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott advised the White House to “stay out of the way” after the administration announced Wednesday that it would ask OPEC and leading non-OPEC oil producers to boost their output in a bid to drive down world prices.  “Dear White House,” Mr. Abbott tweeted Wednesday. “Texas can do this. Our producers can easily produce that oil if your administration will just stay out of the way. Allow American workers — not OPEC — [to] produce the oil that can reduce the price of gasoline.”  August 11: The Epoch Times: After 19 Republicans voted to allow the $1.3 trillion infrastructure to go forward, the senate passes another $3.5 trillion spending package Democrats in the Senate early Wednesday passed a $3.5 trillion budget framework with no support from Republicans, though its final passage is not assured.  The budget was advanced 50–49, with all votes in favor coming from Democrats or nominal independents who regularly vote with the left.  The budget framework was sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a self-described socialist who is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.  The House of Representatives, which Democrats also control, is poised to take up the measure during the week of Aug. 23, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told colleagues this week. August 11: One America News Network:  The person who was removed from committee assignments over push for an election audit in GA is running for Lt. Governor State Sen. Burt Jones (R-GA), a stalwart supporter of President Trump, has said he hoped to continue the legacy of America First as Georgia’s next lieutenant governor. In his first campaign ad released this week, Jones said he wanted to bring the Georgia GOP in a more conservative direction.  Since November, Jones has been leading the charge to look into the election irregularities in Fulton County.  For his continued push, he was stripped of his committee assignments in January. Despite being cut from his assignments, he has continued to push for audits into the election. “It’s unfortunate,” Jones said, “that we were unable to get it to the special session to address some of those glaring issues that we witnessed during the election cycle.  A group of people that sit in the leadership posts did not want to listen to us rank and file election officials.”  Incumbent Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) was the driving force in throwing Jones and others off their committee assignments for questioning the 2020 election results. Following his efforts to force the Democrat Party line in the state, Duncan lost popularity among the Republican base and announced he would not run for a second term. August. 11: Fox News: Loudon County VA teacher resigns at school board meeting over “equity” training mandate A Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) teacher in Virginia resigned in front of the school board on Tuesday, stating in a defiant and emotional speech that she refused to continue pushing their "highly politicized agendas."  "Within the last year, I was in one of my so-called equity trainings that White, Christian, able-bodied females currently have the power in our schools and ‘this has to change,’" teacher Laura Morris said during the school board meeting.  "Clearly, you've made your point,” she continued.  “You no longer value me or many other teachers you've employed in this county. So, since my contract outlines the power that you have over my employment in Loudoun County Public Schools, I thought it necessary to resign in front of you. School board, I quit." Choking up, she added: "I quit your policies, I quit your training, and I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly politicized agendas to our most vulnerable constituents – children." August 10: Texas Scorecard: Texas Senate hears testimony on election integrity legislation, again For a third time this year, Texas state senators heard hours of public testimony on a high-priority comprehensive election reform bill before sending it to the full Senate for approval.  [View the video of the Editor’s testimony.]  The question posed again for election integrity advocates is whether the Texas House can pass this Republican priority.  “We want to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. Both are important,” said Chairman, State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola). “Making sure everyone who is eligible to vote can vote, and that all those votes are counted, is critical.”  Hughes is the author of SB 1, the third version of his major election reform bill he’s filed this year, following Senate Bill 7 in the regular session and a similar Senate Bill 1 in the first special session. August 10: Fox News:  Texas Supreme Court allows the arrest of House Democrats who don’t show up for work The Texas Supreme Court Tuesday voided a Democrat district judge's temporary restraining order that blocked the possible arrest for  Democrat lawmakers who fled the state last month in order to stop the state legislature from acting on a number of measures, including the consideration of election integrity legislation.   Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said that the nearly 55 Democratic representatives should be arrested and returned to the state Capitol in order to do their jobs.  The state's Supreme Court ruling came after Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan petitioned the court Monday to overturn the protection order, meaning the lawmakers could all face arrest if they return from their month-long hiatus, during which they have been collecting per diem at the expense of Texas taxpayers.   August 10: The Texas Tribune:  Speaker Phelan signs arrest warrants for lawmakers who have fled the state in order to stop legislation action Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Tuesday evening signed civil arrest warrants for 52 House Democrats still missing from the stateCapitol as he aimed to regain the quorum needed for the chamber to begin moving legislation during the second special session.  The move was confirmed by Phelan spokesperson Enrique Marquez, who said the warrants "will be delivered to the House Sergeant-at-Arms tomorrow morning for service."  Democrats who may be arrested would not face criminal charges or fines and could only be brought to the House chamber. Dozens of minority party members fled to Washington, D.C., during the first special session to block consideration of GOP-sponsored legislation. August 10: The Daily Caller: Biden has a hidden plan to steal family wealth Joe Biden has proposed sweeping changes to the tax code, such as raising the corporate tax and capital gains tax rates. But one provision buried within a Treasury Department document in particular has businesses and families concerned the administration may be seeking to confiscate generational wealth.  August 10: Breitbart News:  GOP Senators greenlight outsourcing of U.S. manufacturing Jobs as part of the infrastructure bill; potential for massive benefit for the Communist Chinese Republicans are highlighting provisions of the recently passed infrastructure bill that provides giant carve-outs for industries to bypass the “Buy American” rules.  The bill allows the heads of federal agencies to issue waivers to corporations to work around Buy American requirements if they consider the requirement “inconsistent with the public interest,” does not meet “satisfactory quality,” or if they believe buying American will increase costs for the projects.  The waivers will only be reviewed every five years, according to the bill, and will have to be justified in the Federal Register with a public comment period of no fewer than 30 days.  Due to China’s dominance in steel and manufacturing, the carve-outs are likely to be a massive benefit for corporations in China that often are linked to the Chinese Communist Party and party officials. August 10: The Washington Times: Governor Cuomo  (D-NY) resigns Disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation Tuesday, saying it was the best outcome to avoid a costly and distracting impeachment trial over sexual harassment accusations from 11 women, allegations that he still denies.  Cuomo, a Democrat whose impeachment was a near certainty and who still faces criminal probes of his alleged sexual misconduct, said he will turn over control of the state in 14 days to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. The Democrat will become New York’s first female governor.  “Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” Cuomo said in a televised address, his voice cracking with emotion.  August 9: UPI.com: Military ordered to take the experimental vaccine Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said to the troops Monday he had consulted with military leaders and medical professionals about the mandate, prompting him to ask Joe Biden to approve it.  "Based on these consultations and additional discussions with leaders of the White House COVID Task Force, I want you to know that I will seek [Joe Biden’s] approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Agency licensure, whichever comes first," Austin said in the memo.  Biden said in a statement on Monday, that he "strongly support[s]" Austin's plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations by mid-September.  The question remains is this a valid order?  Does it violate the civil rights of the troops?  If they don’t want to take it? What will they do?  The answers are not real clear to many observers. August 9: The Washington Examiner:  AZ AG investigating Maricopa County’s failure to comply with subpoena  Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich opened an investigation into whether Maricopa County broke the law by refusing to comply with legislative subpoenas issued in connection to the 2020 election audit there, according to a letter made public on Sunday.  Deputy Solicitor General Michael Catlett informed the county’s legal arm in an Aug. 6 letter that the attorney general’s office will look at whether the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors failed “to comply with valid and enforceable legislative subpoenas” as alleged in the complaint, filed by Arizona Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli, which spurred the investigation.  The Aug. 3 complaint alleged a “clear violation of the law” and followed the county’s failure to turn over router access and election materials to the Republican-led state Senate, which had demanded them as part of the audit of the county's 2020 election.  August 9: Fox News: More than two dozen police officers turn their backs on Chicago  mayor after two of their colleagues were shot More than two dozen Chicago police officers reportedly turned their backs when greeted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot late Saturday at the hospital where an officer remains in critical condition.  Chicago Police Officer Ella French, 29, was shot and killed during a traffic stop Saturday night, while her partner fights for his life at the University of Chicago Medical Center. As Lightfoot visited the hospital about midnight Saturday, about 30 officers turned their backs to her when she approached them on the 7th floor, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.  Sources say the male officer’s father, who is a retired Chicago cop, also gave the mayor an earful when she tried to talk to him.  August 8: One America News Network: Police suicides on the increase amid attacks by the left An alarming new report found suicides have been on the rise among America’s finest amid far-left incitement of anti-police sentiment. According to police non-profit Blue H.E.L.P., at least 174 officers died by suicide last year.  The report found police officers were more likely to take their own life than die in the line of duty. This comes as violent attacks on the police as well as shootings of officers have also been on the rise.  Blue H.E.L.P. has urged police officers across the nation to reach out and share their concerns, adding there is always a solution to any problems in life.  “All my brother and sister police officers all over this nation know if they call me, no matter what time of day or night or where they are, I will hear every word they say,” expressed Edwin C. Roessler, former Fairfax County chief of police. “I will get them the help they need. I will listen.”  Meanwhile, hundreds of police officers are retiring or relocating away from Democrat-run areas due to worsening work environments. August 8: Fox News: Chicago police targeted in shootings Chicago has seen an increased number of police officers targeted in shootings this year, police Supt. David Brown said Sunday after the most recent incident left one officer dead and another in critical condition "fighting for his life" after someone opened fired on them during a traffic stop.   Including the shooting that happened Saturday night, there have been 38 officers who have been shot at or shot during 2021 so far, Brown said. Of those, 11 officers were struck by gunfire. Brown said that was an extraordinary number after 79 officers were shot at or shot in all of 2020, which represented a 500% increase from the number of officers shot at or shot in 2019.  "Despite the shock, grief, pain and sorrow we feel this morning, our brothers and sisters in blue put this uniform on each and every day," Brown said Sunday. "They go to work risking everything to serve the people of Chicago. They come to work willing to run toward danger. Toward gunfire. And they’re willing to sacrifice their lives to save the lives of perfect strangers."  August 8: The Washington Times: Eighteen Senate Republicans help push forward the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will put the U.S. further in debt The Senate worked into the night Sunday on Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, heading toward passage early this week in a debate that is pitting the president against former President Donald Trump.  In a 68-29 vote, the Senate advanced the 2,702-page bill after weeks of negotiations. The package’s consistent bipartisan support was evidenced by 18 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold.  “It’s a win for Republicans, and it’s a win for Biden, it’s a win for Democrats,” said Sen. Mitt Romney R-UT) who helped craft the deal. August 7: Fox News:  You just can’t make this stuff up; Dems who fled Texas in order to stop the passage of election integrity legislation are suing Gov. Abbott for efforts to bring them home Nearly two dozen Texas House Democrats who fled the state last month have sued Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican officials, alleging that GOP efforts to bring them back to the state Capitol for a special legislative session has infringed upon their constitutional rights.   The 22 plaintiffs claim they have been "deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment," because of their refusal to participate in the Texas legislative special sessions in Austin.  In the lawsuit the Democrats allege these Republicans have "by public statements and otherwise, to attempt to deny, coerce, threaten, intimidate, and prevent" Democrats and constituents from voting in elections, speaking publicly about their constitutional rights, and their right to not being arrested without probable cause.   The suit comes after Abbott called for the arrests of more than 50 Texas House Democrats who fled the state in July for Washington, D.C., in a bid to stop a voter integrity bill from passing in a special legislative session. [See what these election integrity bills actually do.] August 7: The Washington Examiner: State Department encourages U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan Immediately The State Department says all U.S. citizens should leave Afghanistan “immediately" as the Taliban advance.  A directive issued on Saturday by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul calls on citizens of the United States to leave “using available commercial fight options” because they are “extremely limited” in their “ability to assist” due to “the security conditions and reduced staffing.”  The State Department ordered U.S. government employees working for the Kabul embassy who can work remotely to leave the country on April 27. The government’s advisory for Afghanistan remains at "Level 4: Do Not Travel" due to "crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict and COVID-19."  Taliban forces continue to conduct violent attacks against Afghan officials and civilians alike as U.S. troops withdraw from the country. August 7: One America News Network: Good Advice: Arizona Democrat Senator warns getting rid of the filibuster could backfire down the road Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema warned removal of the filibuster would backfire on Democrats in the future. While appearing on The View co-host Joy Behar said unless Congress got rid of the filibuster, no one would be able to vote.  Sinema responded by asking the liberal hosts to think into the future and to not act impulsively today.  “If you eliminate the filibuster to pass that piece of legislation, then in four years or anytime when the other party gains control, without the filibuster in place, all of those voting rights protections could be easily wiped out with a simple majority vote,” she explained. “You could have a nationwide ban on mail in voting.”  Sinema’s position is also held by moderate Democrats such as Sen. Joe Manchin (WVA).  Sinema warned without the filibuster, the dominating party could jam legislation down the throats of the minority party, which would be wiped out once the opposing party gained control. August 6: UPI: Olympics officials strip Belarus coaches of credentials in Tokyo for roles in trying to force sprinter to board plane for home  Olympic officials said Friday that they have revoked credentials for two Belarusian running coaches and asked them to leave the Olympic Village in Tokyo as they're investigated for supposedly trying to force sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to return home.  The International Olympic Committee announced that it's stripped the credentials of coaches Artur Shumak and Yuri Moisevichin in connection with Tsimanouskaya's case.  Early this week, Tsimanouskaya sought and received asylum in Poland after she said Belarus officials tried to put her on a plane home. She feared danger in her home country over public criticisms about the Belarus Olympic Committee. She left Tokyo on Wednesday.  Friday, the IOC said that a disciplinary commission has been established to clarify the circumstances. In the interim, they asked the coaches to leave. August 6: One America News Network: Cruz; The infrastructure bill is an inflationary trap Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blasted the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, warning of the massive amount of inflation it would create. The Texas lawmaker spoke about the bill on Thursday, saying Democrats are looking to give billions of dollars to unelected bureaucrats to spend how they please.   He warned the bill would raise prices for everyday consumers and adversely affect manufacturing states like Texas. Cruz added the fact of the matter is the bill spends too much money and it’s not paid for.  Cruz pointed out the spending in the proposal is greater than what the U.S. spent to win World War II and claimed it is causing inflation across the country. He said Republicans should play their part and say enough is enough. August 6: The New York Post: 1,800 9/11 survivors tell Biden not to attend 20th memorial reunion More than 1,800 people affected by the 9/11 terror attacks have asked Joe Biden not to attend ceremonies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the tragedy next month unless he orders the release of documents, they claim could show links between the Saudi government and Al Qaeda.  The statement signed by nearly 1,800 survivors, first responders, and family members of victims, argues that since the 9/11 Commission issued its final report in 2004, “much investigative evidence has been uncovered implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks. August 6: The Washington Examiner: Israel prepared to strike Iran over drone strike on one of their merchant vessels A top Israeli official said his country is ready to strike Iran in retaliation for a recent attack on an oil tanker belonging to an Israeli firm.  Defense Minister Benny Gantz replied, "Yes," when asked by the Israeli news site Ynet News on Thursday whether the Israeli Defense Forces was ready to take military action against Iran.  "Iran seeks to pose a multi-front challenge to Israel, as such is building up its forces in Lebanon and Gaza, deploying militias in Syria and Iraq, and maintaining its supporters in Yemen. Iran is a global and regional problem and an Israeli challenge," he added. He also said Iran is a global threat, not just a threat to Israel.  A so-called  “suicide” drown struck the bridge of the oil tanker the Mercer Street in the north Arabian Sea last week, killing the captain and one crew member.  Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom claimed Iran carried out the attack, pointing to evidence -- shrapnel found on the ship that was "nearly identical" to shrapnel found from other known Iranian attack drones. The evidence prompted the G-7 leaders to condemn the strike. August 6: The Epoch Times: China may be the big beneficiary over Biden electric card mandate  When Joe Biden announced in the White House August 5 that he wants half of all cars and trucks sold in the United States to be Electric Vehicles (EV) by 2030, the loudest applause may well have been in Beijing.  Biden told an assembly of labor and political leaders as well as top executives from General Motors and Ford that he signed “an executive order setting out a target of 50 percent of all passenger vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric and set into motion an all-out effort.”  The order directs creation of a national infrastructure of 500,000 charging stations to serve the projected boom in electricity demand for EVs and expanded federal tax credits as purchase incentives for consumers. Biden also wants huge increases in federal spending on research to develop new battery designs that can be made in America.  Currently 96% of all vehicles on the roads in the US are powered by internal combustion engines. August 5: Texas Scorecard: Transparency and Chain of Custody take center stage at Texas election conference Acknowledging Texans’ concerns about election security, a Secretary of State conference for election officials from across the state focused on having a transparent processes as key to building voters’ confidence that their votes count.  The state’s director of elections, Keith Ingram, and election administrators said transparency is key to repairing the underlying erosion of trust in the system and prescribed taking a proactive approach to providing information to the public. This included inviting the public to see how election offices across the state do business and to encourage people to volunteer to be poll watchers.   Topping the list of topics at the conference was chain of custody – the ability to track votes so people know their vote was counted. “Chain of custody equals security and transparency,” SOS said.  This the programming of ballots, logic and accuracy testing, supply pickup and delivery of equipment, seals and tracking, electronic media, and return and storage of records and equipment.  Under SB 598, which was enacted this year, electronic voting machines must have a paper ballot backup by November 2026. Such systems will let voters review their ballot in a hard copy before it is scanned into the electronic system. In 2026, “risk-limiting audits”— statistics-based manual recounts that verify the accuracy of election outcomes – will be required.  August 5: One America News Network: DeSantis: Joe, I’m standing in your way The feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Joe Biden has ramped up to a whole new level. On Tuesday, Biden launched criticism targeting the governors of Texas and Florida where he commanded them to help him or “get out of the way.”  During a speech on Wednesday DeSantis addressed Biden’s statements and pointed a finger right back at him.  “Joe Biden has taken to himself to try and single out Florida over COVID. This is a guy who ran for president saying he was going to ‘shutdown the virus’ and what has he done? He’s imported more virus from around the world by having a wide-open southern border,” stated DeSantis.  The governor’s point matched that of many lawmakers and health officials who have expressed worry over the effect of the Biden border crisis on the U.S.’s coronavirus infection rate. He went on to expose the hypocrisy of illegals being shipped all over the country, quite possibly spreading the new COVID variants Biden is so watchful of. August 5: The Galveston County Daily News: Election Legislation is about “voter suppression;” if you say it enough times and long enough, that still won’t make it true Those who are opposing the Texas Election Integrity legislation are saying its about voter suppression and a Republican effort to make voting harder for minorities. The problem is this is a false narrative.  This column points out seven improvements to the Texas Election Code that benefit all voters in the state, including the expansion of the minimum number of voting hours and allowing the curing of ballots by mail that have carrier envelopes with missing or unreadable information.  House Democrats left the state to keep HB3/SB1 from being considered.  Maybe we should be asking ourselves, “Why?”   They need to stop acting like children and come home and do their job. August 5: The Washington Times: U.S. grants deportation amnesty to Hong Kong residents in the United States The Biden Administration declared a deportation amnesty for residents of Hong Kong who are in the U.S., saying Thursday that arrests and persecution by the Chinese Communist government are putting people in danger and they deserve a “safe haven.”  The move, known officially as deferred enforced departure, means those in the U.S. illegally or on legal visas who would have to return home soon can stay without fear of deportation. They also can be granted work permits to support themselves.    “Offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong furthers United States interests in the region,” Biden said.   “The United States will not waver in our support of people in Hong Kong.” This move has enjoyed bipartisan support and had been called for by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. August 5: he Washington Examiner: GOP threats on debt ceiling plan complicate Dems $3.5 trillion big spending plan Republicans are putting political pressure on Democrats over their proposed go-it-alone $3.5 trillion reconciliation spending and tax bill by threatening to vote against legislation to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling.   While Democrats are “extolling the virtues of their latest shopping list, they are afraid to up the limit on their credit card,” Senate Minority Leader  McConnell (R-KY) said on the floor Thursday.   “If our colleagues want to ram through yet another reckless tax and spending spree without our input, if they want all this spending and debt to be their signature legacy, they should leap at the chance to own every bit of it,” he said.  He warned: “If they don’t need or want our input, they won’t get our help — they won’t get our help — with the debt limit increase that these reckless plans will require.” August 5: The Epoch Times:  Minnesota public interest law firm takes on CRT (Critical Race Theory) A public interest Minnesota law firm has filed a series of lawsuits on behalf of victims of CRTc -- based discrimination and retaliation as the grassroots movement against the ideology continues to grow.  “Our clients are bravely confronting CRT-inspired bullying, indoctrination, and retaliation, which is not ‘training’ or persuasion,” Doug Seaton, president of Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) said.  “They have been insulted, lied about, threatened, demoted and fired, simply for refusing to submit to this ideology. But the U.S. Constitution, the federal Civil Rights laws, and their Minnesota counterparts don’t permit this race-based discrimination, retaliation, compelled speech, and invasion of privacy.”  Critical race theory holds, among other things, that white people are inherently racist and that American institutions themselves are systemically racist. A CRT-based curriculum, for example, forces students to associate aspects of their identity with oppression. August 4: Breitbart News: Report: Are you a foreigner and want to come to the United States?  Get your COVID shot first! Hey Joe, does that apply to illegal aliens? Joe Biden is reportedly readying a plan that will require foreign visitors to the United States to show proof of vaccination for the Chinese Communist Party coronavirus before entering the country.   According to Reuters the Biden administration has interagency working groups working “in order to have a new system ready for when we can reopen travel,” the official said, adding it includes “a phased approach that over time will mean, with limited exceptions, that foreign nationals traveling to the United States (from all countries) need to be fully vaccinated.” But this policy begs the question; What about the illegal immigrants flooding across the southern border, does this proposed policy apply to them? Probably not! August 4: The Washington Times: COVID Delta Variant’s reported surge could impact recall election in California California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was riding high after a buoyant pandemic reopening in June when state Democrats decided to fast-track the gubernatorial recall vote, but what once looked like a strategic decision now looms as a possible giant blunder.   Shortly after state officials set the recall date for Sept. 14, the highly contagious delta variant began driving an unexpected surge in cases, prompting Newsom to impose vaccine and testing requirements for state workers and the state’s largest counties to implement a second wave of mask orders on a mandate-weary public.  With the uptick comes rising concerns about school reopenings and the possibility of another shutdown, meaning that Newsom’s worst issue — the state’s pandemic response — is peaking with the recall just five weeks away and mail-in ballots slated to be sent out starting Aug. 16. August 4: The Daily Caller: FL Gov DeSantis and Dem Crist neck and neck in latest poll Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is running just behind Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, a new poll shows.  The survey, from Florida-based St. Pete Polls, found that 45% of voters would back Crist, who served as governor from 2007 to 2011, while nearly 44% would back DeSantis and 11% remained undecided. Crist’s lead, however, was within the 3,900-person poll’s 1.6-point margin of error.  The poll is slightly surprising given DeSantis’ high profile.    August 4: Fox News: DeSantis to Biden: Don’t talk to me about COVID until you do your job at the border Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted President Biden on Wednesday telling him to do his job and secure the southern border and not say "blip" about the coronavirus until he does.  "Why don’t you do your job?" the Florida Republican said during a press conference Wednesday. "Why don't you get this border secure? And until you do that, I don’t wanna hear a blip about COVID from you, thank you."  "This is a guy who ran for office saying he’s going to shut down the virus," DeSantis added. "And what has he done? He’s imported more virus from around the world by having a wide-open southern border." August 3: The Washington Times: Biden has plan for limited and targeted moratorium on evictions The Biden administration is expected to buckle to pressure from progressive House Democrats and announce Tuesday a new, limited moratorium on evictions as landlords and tenants flood courts across the country after a comprehensive federal ban expired over the weekend.  The new action will be targeted to areas of the country with the highest rates of COVID-19 infections, covering 80% of U.S. counties and 90% percent of the U.S. population. The moratorium would last for 60 days, expiring on Oct. 3, according to sources familiar with the plan.  Tensions between the Biden administration and House Democrats escalated over the weekend with each side blaming the other for letting the moratorium lapse, potentially leaving as many as 15 million people homeless. August 3: The Washington Examiner: MO Gov pardons Mark and Patricia McCloskey of firearms violations Missouri Gov. Mike Parson pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the governor's office announced.  The husband and wife, who gained national attention in the summer of 2020 after brandishing firearms at harassing BLM protesters outside their St. Louis home, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in June over the incident.   Video of the encounter showed Mark manning an AR-15 and Patricia holding a handgun to confront the protesters whom they said threatened their lives.   “[They said] that they were going to kill us,” Patricia McCloskey said in July 2020. “They were going to come in there. They were going to burn down the house." August 3: The Daily Caller: Sexual Harassment investigation report released by NY AG; NY Assembly Speaker to move quickly for impeachment Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has lost the support of his State Assembly and will “quickly” face impeachment if he does not resign, the Democratic New York Assembly Speaker announced Tuesday.  The statement from Speaker Carl Heastie came hours after New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that an investigation found that Cuomo had sexually harassed staff and other women in the past. Democratic leaders in Washington have also abandoned Cuomo in droves, with both Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for his resignation.  August 3: Fox News: Gold medalist for wrestling from Katy, Texas, says she’s proud to represent the U.S.A. U.S.A. wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock was asked a simple question by a reporter after she won gold at the Tokyo Olympics over Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria. "How does it feel to represent your country like this," she was asked.  "I love representing the U.S. I freaking love living there," the Olympic gold medalist said before pumping her fist, smiling, and pulling the stars and stripes tighter to her body.    Mensah-Stock, an unknown to Mainstreet USA before today’s interview after winning gold, is easily the most likable athlete to come out of the Games. Her smile, love of country, and positive nature have all captured the attention of citizens who’ve been beaten over the head by social justice warriors who’ve sucked the fun out of the Games. August 3: The Epoch Times: CA Governor recall group sues to stop election guide from framing effort as a Republican or Trump takeover Key backers of the recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom have filed a lawsuit to prevent the Democrat governor from framing the contest as a Trump-aligned Republican power grab in an official voter information guide that will be distributed publicly.  Orrin Heatlie, the lead organizer of the recall campaign, and Mike Netter, a board member of the recall committee, are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit call for each use of the word “Republican” and “Trump” to be stricken from Newsom’s so-called “recall argument,” the governor’s official response to the special election that will be included in the voter guide sent out ahead of the Sept. 14 vote. August 2: Fox News: Is something going on?  Third Capitol Hill police officer to commit suicide after protestors entered the U.S. Capitol A third police officer who responded to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has died by suicide seven months after the incursion into the Capitol, authorities said Monday.   Gunther Hashida was found dead inside his home on July 29, the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said. It was unclear how he killed himself or if his response to the Capitol contributed to his death.   Hashida had been with the department since 2003 and was assigned to the Emergency Response Team within the Special Operations Division.  Hashida's death is the third known suicide of a police officer who responded to the Capitol during the attack in which supporters of then-President Trump stormed the building in an effort to overturn the election of President Biden.  August 2: The Daily Caller: House Republicans urge dismissal of DOJ lawsuit over Georgia election laws Over 50 House Republicans signed on to an amicus brief Monday requesting a federal judge throw out the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the state of Georgia.  The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Georgia in June over the state’s Election Integrity Act, a law passed in March that establishes voter identification requirements, expands early voting opportunities, regulates absentee ballot drop boxes, and cracks down on ballot harvesting, etc. The DOJ alleged the law discriminated against black voters by infringing on their right to vote, with Joe Biden comparing the law to Jim Crow laws.  The lawmakers’ brief said, “This lawsuit presents no viable basis for overturning the will of the citizens of Georgia, expressed through their elected representatives who have been given the constitutional authority and duty to regulate election.   This lawsuit is without merit and should be dismissed.”  August 2: One America News Network: More allegations of voting fraud in multiple Georgia counties For months election workers have been saying that they saw an abundance of evidence of vote fraud in the Georgia 2020 election. Some of the issues included tally sheets didn’t match up with the ballots cast; unsupervised drop boxes where ballots could be dropped off without anybody knowing who was depositing them in the box; the counting votes outside of the sight of election observers, and large numbers of fake ballots (like mail in ballots that had no folds and which were not printed on ballot paper). As the evidence piles up, calls for having an investigation are getting more attention. August 1: One American News Network: Arizona AG says far left and Dems have abused election integrity for years Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has called on other states to join the efforts to restore integrity of U.S. elections. In a statement on Saturday, Brnovich said Democrats and left wing activists have abused U.S. election laws for many years.  Brnovich has been a strong and dedicated advocate for defending election integrity. He insisted Democrats have used COVID-19 to bypass state legislatures and changed election laws were the latest examples of such abuse.  In a separate interview the same day, the Arizona attorney general said American voters must be able to trust election results, but Democrats have been making it impossible. He went on to urge all states ban abusive electoral practices to reduce fraud going forward. August 1: Fox News: New reports on Wuhan Lab raise serious questions According to a Congressional report, months before the Chinese Communist Party coronavirus outbreak, the Wuhan National Biosafety Lab requested bids for major renovations to air safety and waste treatment systems in research facilities that had been operational for less than 2 years. "Such a significant renovation so soon after the facility began operation appears unusual," said the report from the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Republican staff.  The projects for air disinfection, hazardous waste and central air conditioning systems "all raise questions about how well these systems were functioning in the months prior to the outbreak of COVID-19."   The true reason for the procurement posting is unclear, as is when or if the work was even initiated.  It adds another circumstantial element to the controversial argument that the pandemic began in a Wuhan lab, including suspicious behavior by the Chinese Communist government.  The congressional staff will release their most detailed case yet arguing that researchers in Wuhan could have genetically manipulated the virus and that "the preponderance of evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 was accidentally released from…” the Wuhan lab.  July 31: One America News Network: Representative Mace (R-SC) takes on Texas Democrat representatives about voter ID (video) Republican House member Nancy Mace grilled Texas State Democrat Representative Thompson about voter ID requirements.  She started asking if a person needed an ID to buy alcohol, cigarette, to pick up prescriptions.  She went on ask to whether Thompson needed an ID in order to fly a charger airplane to Washington, DC and then shifted asking what percentages of white and black Texans were registered to vote (72% | 70%).  It was a very interesting exchange which is worth watching. July 30: The Washington Times: Biden, Harris, Pelosi, and Schumer meet; agree to continue to press for nationalizing voting rules Joe Biden and congressional Democratic leaders, stymied by Republican opposition to their highly partisan voting-rights bills, agreed Friday to keep pushing for legislation “reflecting the priorities and values” of two stalled measures.  Biden and Kamala Harris met at the White House with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer ahead of a month-long congressional recess. Their discussion focused on what to do about Democrats’ inability to advance the two measures that would nationalize election standards for federal elections; including the prohibition of voter ID.  A large percentage of Americans favor having voter ID requirements Republicans oppose both measures, and the prospects of passing the evenly divided Senate are probably nil.  July 30: The Daily Caller: Documents show group worked secretly with school board members to get Loudon County Christian teacher fired; recall election efforts gain steam to remove those school board members Members of an activist Facebook group, including a member of the Loudoun County school board, secretly planned to get a gym teacher fired by disrupting “school activities,” according to screenshots of the post.  The group, “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County,” targeted Leesburg Elementary School gym teacher Tanner Cross after he had publicly opposed a proposed policy regarding transgender students.   A court decision ordering Cross’s reinstatement after he sued is currently being appealed by the Loudoun County school board.  An “action item” regarding Cross was posted in the group on June 1. In March, a post in this group calling for the creation of a list  of parents opposed to the use of critical race theory in Loudoun County public schools with the intention to “expose these people publicly” came to light and triggered a recall campaign  aimed at six members of the Loudoun County school board.  As of July 26th, over 90% of the needed signatures to force a recall election had been obtained.  July 30: The Washington Examiner: DOJ sues Abbott for executive order prohibiting the transportation of migrants with Texas The U.S. Justice Department is suing Governor Abbott (R-TX) of an executive order he signed on Wednesday.  The executive order states that "No person, other than a federal, state, or local law-enforcement official, shall provide ground transportation to a group of migrants" who are detained by federal immigration officials for illegally crossing the southern border.  It directs DPS to "stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion of a violation," providing department officials the authority to "reroute such a vehicle back to its point of origin or a port of entry." Abbott said this was necessary because Joe Biden is refusing to enforce laws passed by the Congress and because of Texans being exposed to COVID-19 and the delta variant brought into the country by these migrants.  DOJ’s suit claims "No State may obstruct the Federal Government in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.”  July 29: One America News Network: AZ Senate subpoenas Dominion (video) For months, the Arizona Senate has been in a standoff with Maricopa County over the routers, passwords and logs for the voting machines. In a last attempt to resolve the dispute out of court, the state subpoenaed the county and Dominion whom officials says is the only entity who has the administrative passwords to the machines.  July 29: The Epoch Times: Capitol police walk back directive for arresting people who don’t wear masks in the US Capitol — Mask are required on the House chamber, not the Senate… the “science” changes as you walk from one side of the building to the other The United States Capitol Police (USCP) reversed a decision to arrest people who do not comply with Tuesday’s reinstatement of the mask mandate.  “Regarding the House mask rule, there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rule will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Department’s requirements for officers to wear masks is for their health and safety,” the USCP said.  Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said she has received a memo in which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told police to arrest visitors who did not comply with mask mandate and report members of congress.  “In today’s edition of Pelosi’s abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals. For Members, they advise not arresting but ‘reporting Members to SAA for their failure to comply,’” wrote Cammack in a statement.  July 29: The Daily Caller: Sen. Kennedy (R-LA): You want me to vote for your nomination after you post this pro-abortion stuff on Twitter? Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) flustered Joe Biden’s nominee to a senior position in the Department of Justice (DOJ) by quizzing him on a tweet during a confirmation hearing.  Kennedy pressed Dellinger on a 2019 tweet in which he claimed that “if there were no Republican men in elected office, there would be no abortion bans.”    “You wrote it. Here it is, bigger than Dallas,” Kennedy said as he held up a photocopy. “Do you think that my votes with respect to abortion are based on the fact that I want to control women?”  “You said every Republican, other than the ones that you like, have their position on abortion because they’re misogynistic … Did it ever occur to you that some people may base their position on abortion on their faith?” Kennedy asked.  “You’re up to be nominated. You want me to vote for you?” Kennedy asked. July 29: Fox News: “Kiss My Mask;” Dem mayors and governors face blow back as they attempt to mandate mask wearing again Democratic leaders around the country are facing criticism and blowback after they rushed to reimpose unpopular mask mandates following updated coronavirus guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The CDC said this week that even vaccinated individuals in areas deemed as high-risk should return to wearing masks indoors – prompting the new wave in face-covering requirements.  But the mandates are unpopular for numerous reasons. Some say the masks irritate them or hinder their breathing. People who wear glasses have to deal with fogged-up lenses that make it nearly impossible to see when they enter a building. And many critics have argued that requiring face coverings is government overreach.   The pushback has been especially pronounced among House Republicans, who have criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi's rush to embrace mandates once again. July 29: The Epoch Times: ME church seeks SCOTUS relief from Maine governor’s mandates A Maine church filed a motion in the SCOTUS on July 27, seeking to prevent Gov. Janet Mills from issuing new COVID-19 restrictions.  Calvary Chapel of Bangor, alleges that the governor “continued to impose discriminatory and unconstitutional restrictions on religious worship services,” and even though Mills suspended the restrictions, “Calvary Chapel ‘remains under a constant threat’ that the governor will reinstate her unconstitutional restrictions at any time.”   Mills had issued a series of executive orders declaring religious services to be non-essential and illegal if they contain more people than she mandated.  The petition points out that in March 2020, Mills allowed businesses such as “Marijuana Dispensaries,” “Spas,” or “Tattoo Parlors” to operate, by the Calvary Chapel’s religious worship was not allowed. July 29: The Washington Free Beacon:  Federal government gives defund the police group $89 million this year The federal government provides tens of millions of dollars each year to a nonprofit group that supports the movement to defund police departments and dismantle the criminal justice system.  Officials with the Brooklyn-based Vera Institute of Justice have urged the government to "radically dismantle" police departments in order to fix a system they say dehumanizes people of color. The institute is heavily funded by the federal government. So far this fiscal year, the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and other agencies have awarded the Vera Institute more than $89 million in contracts and grants. The organization has received $811 million in federal funding since 2008, according to USA Spending, a federal budget database.  Meanwhile some Democrats see these, and other, defund the police efforts as an electrified third rail in the upcoming election cycle. July 28: Zero Hedge: USA Today “scrubs” references suggesting vaccinated individuals may spread COVID with “Higher Levels” of the virus “NBC News, citing unnamed officials aware of the decision, reported it comes after  new data suggests vaccinated individuals could have higher levels of virus and infect others amid the surge of cases driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus,” the USA Today reported in a passage that was later scrubbed from an article.  The story from the USA Today drops the reference to NBC News, but nonetheless corroborates the news: “CDC says vaccinated people may transmit virus, recommends masks indoors.”   “CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said new data shows the delta variant, which accounts for more than 80% of the new infections in the U.S., behaves ‘uniquely differently’ from its predecessors and could make vaccinated people infectious,” the article notes. July 28: The Epoch Times: Biden seriously considering requiring vaccinations for all federal employees Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration is considering mandating that all federal workers get the COVID-19 vaccine.   “That’s under consideration right now,” Biden said when asked if federal employees should be required to get vaccinated.  Biden was addressing members of the intelligence community.  Biden also blamed people who are unvaccinated for fueling the pandemic, in a response to a question about whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s new mask guidance sowed confusion in Americans.  July 28: The Washington Examiner: DOJ bullies and escalates warnings to GOP states over election integrity laws and audits; blue states need not be concerned The Justice Department fired a fresh round of warning shots at Republican-led state voting laws and GOP-led 2020 election audits on Wednesday.   With the release of two new federal guidance memos, Attorney General Merrick Garland made it abundantly clear he's not easing the pressure after he filed a high-profile lawsuit against Georgia last month and threatened action against the Arizona Senate's audit of the Maricopa County election ahead of its release of a report expected later this summer.   DOJ made it clear that it will use all its resources if eligible citizens are denied voting rights and access.  Having read the Texas voter integrity legislation I can tell you that I have not seen any provisions that are designed to keep eligible voters from voting, while increasing penalties for mail in vote harvesters.   In its move, DOJ is going beyond normal bounds by stating that states that go back to conducting elections as they did prior to Covid-19 are not excluded from a detailed review of their election practices.  July 28: The Washington Times: Senior Dems bristle at being excluded from infrastructure discussion; threaten to bolt Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) is rushing to prevent a revolt by senior Democrats in his caucus who bristle at being cut out of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal.  The anger is most notable among committee chairs. Many have waited more than a decade for Democrats to control both the White House and Congress only to see their hopes for passing a big infrastructure package usurped by a bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers.  “Some of these guys have never chaired a committee,” said an aide to a senior Democrat. “They’re angry at having a potential spending bonanza bypass them, when their committees rightfully have purview over the matter.”  Schumer plans on holding the cloture vote Wednesday amid concerns that waiting longer will only give the committee chairs more time to stew about being left out of crafting the deal.  [Update:  Later in the day 17 Senate Republicans joined with the Democrats to allow the infrastructure bill to be debated, even though the bill has yet to be written.  The vote was 67-32.]  July 28: The Daily Caller: Federal Reserve: Inflation could be “higher and more persistent” than initially predicted The Federal Reserve admitted Wednesday that inflation could increase quicker and for longer than the central bank has projected in recent months.  Inflation could turn out to be “higher and more persistent” than previously expected if supply constraints continue to plague many economic sectors as they are now, Board Chairman Jerome Powell said during a press conference. According to Forbes, Fed officials have repeatedly stated that consumer price increases would be “transitory,” lasting 6-9 months.  “Inflation has increased notably and will likely remain elevated in coming months before moderating,” Powell said.  “As the economy continues to reopen and spending rebounds, we are seeing upward pressure on prices, particularly because supply bottlenecks in some sectors have limited how quickly production can respond in the near term,” he contended. July 27: The Daily Caller: If you can’t get your way then bully those who disagree with you?  Rev. Jesse Jackson and 38 others arrested in Arizona refusing to leave Democrat Senator’s office Jesse Jackson and 38 others were arrested Monday for refusing to leave Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s office in Phoenix, Arizona.  Jackson urged activists to fight for voting rights and an end to the filibuster, according to the Arizona Independent.  Hundreds of activists marched a mile to Sinema’s office chanting “end the filibuster now.” They said removing the filibuster would allow Democratic senators to pass voting-rights laws and raise the federal minimum wage, the outlet reported.  Warning:  Be careful what you ask for.  When Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) got rid of the filibuster for nominations – because some of the Democrat nominations were being held up – it allowed President Trump, a few years later, to appoint and get confirmed a large number of constructivist judges when the Republicans took over the chamber.  Senator Byrd (D) warned Reid against changing the filibuster rules, but he didn’t listen! July 27: Fox News: Cliff hanger in the making as Newsom’s challenger takes the lead among likely California voters in the Governor’s recall election Californians likely to vote in September’s recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom are divided on whether to oust the Golden State’s first-term embattled Democratic governor, according to a new poll.  And a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies/LA Times survey released on Tuesday indicates that conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who won a court battle last week to appear on the ballot, is the current front-runner among the nearly four dozen candidates running to replace Newsom, should he be recalled.  The poll indicates how crucial turnout will be in the September 14th election in a state where registered Democrats greatly outnumber registered Republicans, but Republicans appear to be more motivated to cast ballots in the recall contest. Although Republicans only account for roughly a quarter of all registered voters in California, the poll indicated they made up a third of those most likely to vote. July 27: Townhall.com: Interesting question; if the vaccine is supposed to protect people from the Chinese Communist Party coronavirus, why are masks necessary? Speaking to reporters at the White House Tuesday afternoon, Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the CDC will recommend masks be worn by vaccinated individuals who live in areas with high numbers Wuhan coronavirus cases. The CDC will also recommend masks for unvaccinated children under the age of 12 at school and inside the home.  During a back and forth with Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, Psaki was asked why vaccinated individuals have to wear masks at all if the vaccines are effective against the disease. She was unable to provide a meaningful answer based upon science.   In addition, Psaki said federal agencies, such as the Veterans Administration, may institute vaccine mandates.  VA Secretary Denis McDonough was the first to do so on Monday for thousands of VA employees working in the government healthcare system.  July 27: The Washington Times: CDC looking at flip flopping guidance and calling for vaccinated individuals to wear masks The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday will reportedly advise vaccinated persons to wear masks in indoor public spaces in parts of the U.S. with high or substantial transmission of the coronavirus, a major reversal of guidance issued two months ago as fears around the delta variant grow.  Officials will also tell vaccinated persons who live with vulnerable persons, such as young children and immunocompromised, to wear masks when they enter indoor public spaces, according to CNN and The Washington Post.  And it will recommend that all students, teachers and staff wear masks when school reopens in the fall. July 26: Fox News: Biden; “You’re a pain in the neck” but I will answer your question Joe Biden called a reporter a "pain in the neck" Monday in the Oval Office for asking him a question that was off his preferred topic of Iraq.  Sitting in the Oval Office with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Biden smiled as NBC's Kelly O'Donnell asked him to comment on Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough’s announcement that front-line VA workers would be required to get a coronavirus vaccine.  "You are such a pain in the neck, but I’m going to answer your question because we’ve known each other for so long," he said. "It has nothing to do with Iraq … I'll answer your question. Yes, Veteran Affairs is going to, in fact, require that all doctors working in their facilities are going to have to be vaccinated." July 26: Fox Business: Unemployed Floridians sue state for cutting off additional benefits that, for some, is more than they could make by working in the middle of worker shortages Out-of-work Americans in Florida filed a lawsuit against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday seeking to reinstate a pandemic relief program that paid out an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits.  In a complaint filed late Sunday on behalf of 10 unemployed Floridians, three attorneys argued that DeSantis, as well as the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and its director Dane Eagle, violated their "clear legal and statutory duty to secure such benefits for employees" by prematurely ending the benefits.  The attorneys are requesting an emergency injunction to force Florida to reinstate the $300 a week benefit until the case is decided, as well as provide four weeks of retroactive benefits. July 26: One America News Network: 430 people killed in shooting over the last week Shocking numbers from the GVA indicate more than 900 shootings took place in the U.S. between July 17 and July 23. In the 915 shootings accounted for, at least 430 people were killed with more than 1,000 injured. This comes as people across the nation are urging government officials to take action as gun violence surges.  The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a non-profit group that tracks data and numbers are constantly changing. GVA numbers show there were more than 43,000 gun deaths last year, marking the highest total in 20 years. On top of that, more than 170 of those victims were under the age of 12. However, the archive suggests the number of gun fatalities is expected to grow even higher this year with more than 24,000 gun deaths already recorded in 2021. July 25: Fox News: Trey Gowdy; hypocrisy of Rep. Bush on personal security “Sunday Night in America” host Trey Gowdy tore into progressive “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush, (D-MO) after campaign filings revealed she spent a shocking $70,000 on private security while publicly calling for reduced police budgets nationwide.  "Members of Congress are spending more money than ever on their personal security," Gowdy, a former GOP congressman told viewers. "It’s a track tragic reflection of the times we live in. Members of Congress have been threatened with all acts of violence. Because of these threats of violence, members of Congress are allowed to spend campaign money on their safety… safety is priority number one for members of Congress, as it should be. But what about you?" he said in his opening monologue.  He encouraged viewers to consider their personal safety as the country grapples with an unprecedented crime wave. July 25: One America News Network: Many parents moving to homeschooling after pandemic As schools plan to resume in-person learning, more parents have decided to homeschool their children. According to an Associated Press report, parents found homeschooling during the pandemic to be beneficial for their children.  “In the beginning, the biggest challenge was to unschool ourselves and understand that homeschooling has so much freedom,” said Arlena Brown, mother of four. “We can go as quickly or slowly as we need to.”  Across the board, parents claim more one-on-one time and flexible schedules allow them to take ownership of their child’s education. July 24: Detroit Free Press: Michigan Gov. Whitmer stripped of emergency powers Michigan legislators have stripped Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of the emergency powers she freely wielded during the coronavirus pandemic.   The state Senate approved the Unlock Michigan initiative on July 15. On Thursday, the state House passed the measure with a 60-48 vote largely along party lines.   The move will take effect in 90 days.  Whitmer utilized powers granted by the Emergency Powers of Governor Act of 1945, which allowed her to enact significant health and safety restrictions in the early days of the pandemic.  "Hundreds of thousands of our families, friends and neighbors changed Michigan forever when they decided they had enough and stood up to make a difference," Republican Speaker Jason Wentworth said in a statement.   “They deserve a state government that is willing to do the same. They’ve earned that much. That’s why we had their back today and put this petition into law.” July 24: Breitbart News: Herschel Walker blasts Olympia protests saying “if people don’t like the rules, then why are you here?” Football legend Herschel Walker recently sounded off about Olympians protesting the American flag and kneeling before the games.  He questioned if the Olympics is the “right place” for Americans to protest their own nation in light of athletes from other countries “who would love to represent the United States of America” if they had the opportunity.  Walker competed in the 1992 Olympics when he raced with Team USA’s two-man bobsled team. He described the experience as one of his proudest moments “coming from South Georgia and representing the United States.”  Walker noted, adding, “I couldn’t have been more proud of anything.” July 24: The Washington Times: Dems’ embracing of BLM nominee may put their domestic terrorism message at risk By falling in line behind Tracy Stone-Manning, Democrats may have ensured her confirmation to head the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) but they also muddied the Biden administration’s message on domestic extremism — and handed Republicans an explosive ecoterrorism narrative.  Moments after the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced the nomination Thursday on along party-lines, the Colorado Republican Party ripped Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper for supporting Stone-Manning when the Senator knew full well her role in a 1989 tree-spiking plot which put the lives of people at risk. “This morning, John Hickenlooper voted to move forward an eco-terrorist and proven liar to lead the Bureau of Land Management,” Colorado GOP chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown said in a Thursday press release. “I believe that Colorado ranchers, loggers, farmers, and outdoors enthusiasts all deserve a leader at the BLM who isn’t an extremist.” July 24: The Washington Free Beacon:  Look what government-backed groups want to teach to your young children Justin Thiel, 31, was ready to send his oldest daughter to kindergarten at the public school in his rural Nebraska town. He made a sudden change of plans once he read the new sex education standards adopted by the state.  The National Sex Education Standards, which provided a roadmap for Nebraska Department of Education, teach kindergartners the names of reproductive body parts and define gender identity and reproduction. Children in Grades 3-5 are taught about masturbation, hormone blockers used to transition pre-pubescent children, STDs, and the differences between cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, and "gender expansive." Grades 6-8 are taught about abortion, contraception, and differences between vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Grades 9-10 must teach "reproductive justice," which entails unlimited abortion access. July 24: Townhall.com: Mississippi takes aim at Roe v. Wade as state law heads to SCOTUS Is the Supreme Court going to overrule Roe v. Wade? That's the question raised by a Mississippi abortion case soon to come before court.  "The conclusion that abortion is a constitutional right has no basis in text, structure, history, or tradition, the attorney general of Mississippi, Lynn Fitch, writes in her brief. Specifically in question is a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks, with exceptions for when the life or physical health of a mother is endangered, or in the case of severe, fatal abnormalities for an unborn child. Mississippi wants the court to throw out Roe and leave abortion legality up to the states. In states like New York, abortion would almost certainly remain.  The brief explains the reason for the law:  "At 5-6 weeks' gestation, 'an unborn human being's heart begins beating.'" And that at about eight weeks, the developing baby begins to move about in the womb. At nine weeks, "'all basic physiological functions are present.' As are teeth, eyes, and external genitalia." At 10 weeks, "'vital organs begin to function' and 'hair, fingernails and toenails ... Begin to form.'" At 11 weeks, there may be hiccupping as the diaphragm forms. At 12 weeks, there can be the opening and closing of fingers, "'sucking motions,'" and the baby "'senses stimulation from the world outside the womb.'" At that point, the child "'has taken on the human form in all relevant respects.'" In short, it describes what a mother and father who are welcoming their unborn baby see in ultrasounds.  July 24: The Washington Times: 160,000 demonstrators reject France’s proposal to have a special COVID-19 pass in order to enter a restaurant and the vaccination of all healthcare workers Some 160,000 people protested Saturday across the country against a bill requiring everyone to have a special virus pass to enter restaurants and mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all health care workers.  Similar protests were held in neighboring Italy.  Police fired water cannons and tear gas on rowdy protesters in Paris, although most gatherings were orderly.  Protesters chanting “Liberty! Liberty!” gathered at Bastille plaza and marched through eastern Paris in one of several demonstrations Saturday around France. July 23: The Daily Caller: An analysis of what progressive bail reform is doing to American cities One of the most popular policies among “progressive prosecutors” is creating headaches for many police officers and attorneys, not to mention individual citizens.    “Because we are sworn to protect and serve the public, we sincerely hope that we will not be proven right about this new law,” the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition said in a statement earlier this year. “Please don’t let us measure its dismal failure by the shattered lives it produces.”  The statement was in response to a new criminal justice reform bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February. Among the provisions in the law is the elimination of cash bail by the year 2023.  Illinois is simply following in the footsteps of several other Democratic-controlled jurisdictions (like Houston) that have drastically reduced, or eliminated almost entirely cash bail. The policy is popular among progressive prosecutors, who argue that cash bail needlessly incarcerates people of color and those who are poor for crimes they haven’t yet faced trial for.  Amid a skyrocketing murder rate in nearly all of America’s major cities, some are beginning to question if this popular progressive policy is linked to the rise in homicides.  Many law enforcement agencies place the blame for the increase in crime squarely at the feet of elected officials, including mayors, city councilmen and judges. July 23: The Epoch Times: 6th Circuit rules moratorium on evictions is unlawful A federal court on Friday ruled that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overstepped its authority by halting evictions during the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) coronavirus pandemic.  The Cincinnati-based U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed unanimously with a lower court ruling that said the CDC engaged in federal overreach with the eviction moratorium, which the agency has consistently extended for months. Several weeks ago, the CDC announced it would allow the policy, which was passed into law by Congress, to expire at the end of July.  “It is not our job as judges to make legislative rules that favor one side or another,” the judges wrote. “But nor should it be the job of bureaucrats embedded in the executive branch. While landlords and tenants likely disagree on much, there is one thing both deserve: for their problems to be resolved by their elected representatives.”  Previously, the CDC’s lawyers argued in court filings that Congress authorized the eviction freeze as part of its COVID-19 relief legislation, while simultaneously asserting that the moratorium was within its authority. Those arguments were rejected by appeals court. July 23: One America News Network: Biden falling behind in 85 key Congressional districts by a nine point margin The Biden administration has lost support on the key issue of border security in 85 battleground congressional districts. A poll conducted by the National Republican Congressional Committee throughout the month of July found that voters believed Republicans in Congress were better equipped to deal with the issue of borer security.  The data highlighted voters trusted Republicans more on the issue in districts represented by Democrats by a nine-point margin. In addition, the poll found Independent and Hispanic voters have shown increasing discontent with the Biden border crisis and found they disapproved of his policies by a 23-point margin. July 23: The Daily Caller: Jan. 6 protestors at the Capitol branded by prosecutors as “terrorists” while admitting they don’t meet the definition thereof Federal prosecutors are attempting to pursue harsher sentences for those arrested for non-violent crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 protest at the Capitol by branding them as terrorists while acknowledging their actions don’t meet the legal definition of terrorism.  Court documents from the case of Paul Hodgkins, the first Jan. 6 protestor convicted of a felony to be sentenced, show U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky saying that “we are framing this in the context of domestic terrorism,” even though his actions do not meet any legal definition of terrorism.  “January 6th was an act of domestic terrorism,” Sedky said at Hodgkins’ sentencing hearing. “And we concede that Mr. Hodgkins himself is not under the legal definition a domestic terrorist, we’re not assuming he is. But he was part and parcel of an act of domestic terrorism that was going on around him, and that context is relevant when the Court is deciding how to sentence him.” July 22: The Epoch Times: PA GOP to introduce new election integrity bill now that Democrat governor says he is willing to compromise Pennsylvania state House Republicans will make another attempt at passing a voting overhaul bill after Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf signaled, he would support a measure that includes voter identification provisions.  House State Government Committee Chairman Seth Grove on Wednesday told other lawmakers in a memo that he’ll reintroduce a bill that Wolf vetoed last month. Other than proposing new voter identification requirements, the bill would move up the voter registration deadline, limit drop-box usage, and would allow for the pre-canvassing of mail-in ballots.  Reports are that Gov. Wolf said he isn’t opposed to voter ID.  Grove said, “The Pennsylvania Voting Rights Protection Act is solely predicated on the House State Government Committee’s extensive election oversight hearings, the most extensive election oversight work in the entire country.” Current law only requires voters in Pennsylvania to show identification when they vote for the first time, whereas the new bill proposes mandatory voter identification for every election. The new law would establish a department of election audits and fund it.  Although Wolf signaled he’s open to discussions, other Democrats pushed back against Grove’s latest proposal July 22: The Texas Tribune: Beto funds Texas Dems’ stay out of the state — $600,000 — of course he does! Beto O’Rourke has funneled $600,000 to Texas House Democrats in Washington, D.C., to help fund their stay, which could last for up to another two weeks as the lawmakers attempt to block passage of an election integrity bill in the state Legislature.  O’Rourke, who ran for the U.S. Senate, would favor getting rid of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate but supports what is essentially the same tactic by Texas Democrats who oppose election integrity legislation and who are “busting” the attainment of a quorum, thereby “filibustering”  and stopping any  legislation from passage.  This includes bail reform, property tax relief, and guys competing as gals in women’s spirting events.  July 22: The Epoch Times: Biden opposes throwing out the filibuster altogether, well sort of Claiming that “abuse of the filibuster is pretty overwhelming,” Biden said he would support going back to the so-called “talking filibuster” standard, where to use the procedure to block legislation, at least one minority party senator would have to stand on the floor and keep talking. Current rules allow a senator to declare their intention to launch a filibuster against a bill or motion, and then what’s known as a cloture vote is taken, which requires a 60-vote supermajority for further action on the matter.  “I would go back to that, where you have to maintain the floor,” Biden said. “You have to stand there and talk and hold the floor.” July 21: The Washington Examiner: Voting machines in Fulton County PA decertified after audit of the 2020 vote count Voting machines in Pennsylvania's Fulton County were decertified after local officials complied with a GOP-backed ballot audit and allowed a third-party contractor to access data.   The rural county, which borders Maryland, must do away with its Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5A voting system, employed in the 2020 presidential election, after Wake TSI, a software company, was allowed in December to gain access to and look over its “election database, results files, and Windows system logs," acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid told county officials in a letter on Tuesday. July 21: Fox News<: Former Detroit Police Chief running to unseat Michigan Democrat Governor Whitmer Recently retired Detroit Police Chief James Craig joined  “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Wednesday to expand on what he sees as the failed leadership of incumbent Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and announce a gubernatorial exploratory committee.   Craig, a Detroit native who spent the past 8 years leading the Motor City's law enforcement force – after tenures in Cincinnati and Portland – said that he "protected and served for 44 years" and now wants to do the same for the entire state of Michigan. July 21: One America News Network: No chance it will go anywhere with Dems grip on House but GOP introduce bill to give funding to states that want to continue building a border wall House conservatives have refused to back down against Democrats on border wall funding, saying it’s their “hill to die on.” This week the House Republican Study Committee revealed a bill to give $22 billion directly to border states that want to continue building President Trump’s border wall.  Last month, the committee along with President Trump visited a section of the wall in Texas that was almost complete, but was stopped under Joe Biden. July 21: The Epoch Times: Study: Texas’ Oil and Gas industry supported 2.5 million jobs in Texas, 11.3 million nationally Texas’ oil and natural gas industry supported more than 2.5 million total jobs statewide in 2019, a new analysis found, contributing the most to the state’s GDP and total income of any industry.  The industry contributed $411.6 billion to the state’s gross domestic product, including $251.2 billion to the state’s total labor income in 2019, the report found.  July 21: Fox News: SC’s GOP AG celebrates Biden reversal on use of the CRT handbook The Biden administration claimed that it was an "error" when the Department of Education linked to a radical activist group’s handbook that pushes critical race theory in schools, distancing itself from the organization to the relief of South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.  Wilson hailed the administration's walk-back as a victory for families claiming that the reversal by Biden came after a large number of GOP Governors pressured the White House.   July 20: Fox News:  Beyond belief!  Absent Texas Democrat lawmakers equate threat of arrest to force their presence at the Capitol in Austin to slavery Texas State Rep. Senfronia Thompson – one of the Democratic lawmakers that fled Austin in order to shut down the Texas state legislature from considering legislation that would expand voting hours while tightening election integrity,  delivered a fiery speech in which she appeared to compare Texas officials threatening her arrest with the act of a slave escaping the plantation.   Speaking in Alexandria, Va., on Friday, Thompson, D-Harris County said her caucus "refuse[s] to be a hostage."  Interestingly enough, during a hearing earlier this month before the House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies several witnesses provided proof of vote harvesting, dead people voting, and people voting in Texas who moved to New Orleans 20 years ago.  All of these election violations and incidents of election fraud occurred in Thompson’s Harris County district and she is one of the leaders who fled the state in order to kill election integrity legislation. July 20: The Washington Times: Runaway Texas Dems derailed as COVID-19 spreaders in group increase fears at the White House The runaway Texas House Democrats framed their walkout as a bid to save democracy, but the message was swamped by a growing coronavirus outbreak that spilled Tuesday into House speaker Pelosi’s office.  A Pelosi spokesperson confirmed that a fully vaccinated senior aide tested positive for COVID-19 after contact with the state legislators, the darlings of the Democratic Party until four days ago, when they started testing positive for the coronavirus.  Now six members, or more than 10%, of the caucus have contracted COVID-19, fueling a White House scare, eclipsing the group’s civil rights narrative, jeopardizing their chances of meeting Joe Biden and prompting Republicans to accuse the legislators of stoking a superspreader event. July 20: One American News Network:  White House:  Vaccines aren’t 100% effective or  “Fool” proof White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed a fully vaccinated White House official tested positive for COVID-19. The comments came during a press briefing on Tuesday, where Psaki said the official contracted the virus “off campus.”  The White House official, along with an aide for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), both tested positive despite both being fully vaccinated.  This comes after six Texas lawmakers, from the nearly 60 Democrats who went to Washington D.C., have reportedly tested positive for the virus. Reports mentioned at least one of the cases involving the two staffers could have been linked to the group of Texas Democrats. July 20: The Daily Caller: Parents in Fairfax County VA force recall of school board member over keeping schools closed Virginia parents submitted thousands of signatures Monday in an attempt to recall a Fairfax County school board member over her opposition for returning to in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Board member Elaine Tholen is accused of neglecting her duty for opting to keep schools closed for 12 months during the pandemic, WTOP News reported.  The Open FCPS Coalition claims to have submitted around 5,000 signatures for the recall, far more than the 3,500 that are required.  If a recall election is triggered, Tholen would become the first school board official in America to face a recall over support of school closures during the pandemic. July 19: The Epoch Times: Texas state rep introduces measure to audit election results in the 13 most populous counties A  Texas House representative announced Monday he’s introducing a bill for a forensic audit of the most populous counties’ election results.  According to the text of House Bill 241, introduced by Republican state Rep. Steve Toth, forensic reviews of counties with more than 415,000 population should be carried out before Nov. 1, 2021, and they should be completed before Feb. 1, 2022.  “Not later than March 1, 2022,” the bill’s text states, “the independent third party conducting the audit under this section shall submit a report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the legislature detailing any anomalies or discrepancies in voter data, ballot data, or tabulation.”  The counties that should be audited, would include Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, Collin, Travis, Denton, Hidalgo, Fort Bend, El Paso, Williamson, Montgomery, and Cameron counties.  It’s not clear whether the Republican-led Texas Legislature has the appetite for the sweeping audit, which would be one of the largest election reviews in U.S. history. July 19: The Washington Examiner: Texas Democrat jaunt to shut down state legislature will cost $1.5 million Texas Democrats' trip to Washington, D.C., attempting to block GOP-backed voting bills from passing in the state Legislature will cost $1.5 million, a state lawmaker said.   State Rep. Armando Walle projected the lawmakers’-chartered flights alone cost upward of $100,000, according NBC News. Other notable expenses will include food, hotel lodging, and transportation, he said.  Last week, nearly 60 Democrats fled Austin, paralyzing the state's House of Representatives and drawing ire from their GOP colleagues. The majority of the Democratic lawmakers boarded private jets to Washington to meet with federal officials after Republicans pushed two pieces of legislation that would tighten voter integrity procedures while increasing the number of hours polls are open across the state. It is unclear whether taxpayers will end up paying partially or wholly for the Democrats' trip.  Democrats have insisted that no taxpayer funds are being used in the excursion, but their Republican counterparts have posited said upward of $1 million will be paid by residents due to the prolonging of a special session. July 19: One America News Network: Reports surfacing Biden is asking the FED to curb the inflationary spiral administration started by their expansive spending Joe Biden has reportedly begged the U.S. Central Bank to curb inflation that has been spiraling out of control under his watch. According to reports on Monday, Biden asked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to do “whatever it takes” to control inflation.   The reports indicate Biden officials have been worried that skyrocketing consumer prices would further erode his waning popular support. U.S. inflation rose 5.4 percent year-on-year this month, which was way above the Federal Reserve’s two percent target.  Biden and his officials have refused to admit that inflation poses a problem.  Central Bank experts say the FED could raise interest rates to contain inflation. However, such a move would also increase interest payments on U.S. national debt, which is nearing $30 trillion and could make deficit spending even worse.  July 19: Fox News:  China threatens to nuke Japan over Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party aired a video in which it warned Japan of a nuclear response and "full-scale war" if the island nation interferes in China’s handling of Taiwan.   The video, which appeared on a channel approved by the CCP, singles out Japan as the one exception to China’s policy to not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear powers.  "We will use nuclear bombs first," the video said. "We will use nuclear bombs continuously. We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time."   The CCP claims that it will "liberate Taiwan," and it warns against Japan deploying "one soldier, one plane or one ship."  The video was deleted from Chinese platform Xigua after gaining 2 million views, but copies were uploaded to YouTube.  The threats follow comments made two weeks ago by Japanese officials about Taiwan’s sovereignty, with Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso saying that Japan must "defend Taiwan," The Japan Times reported.  July 19: The Washington Times: Nearly two-thirds of likely voters polled say Harris not prepared to be President Kamala Harris apparently has some work to do with the voters before she seeks the top job.  Nearly two-thirds of likely U.S. voters, or 63.6%, said they are “not very confident” or “not confident at all” that Ms. Harris is “ready to be president,” based on her six-month tenure as vice president, according to a poll released Sunday.  The Trafalgar Group poll of 1,000 likely 2022 voters found that only 31.6% were “somewhat confident of “very confident” in her ability to handle the job.  The lack of confidence was most pronounced among Republicans, 88.4% of whom said Ms. Harris was not ready, but a sizable percentage of Democrats — 42.6% — also showed little faith in the California Democrat. Independent voters fell in the middle at 61.8%. July 18: The Washington Times: Judge’s anti-DACA ruling has Democrats scrambling to protect “dreamers” A federal judge’s decision against the DACA program injected new urgency into Congress ‘ desire to give “Dreamers” a permanent legal solution. Still, the court ruling did nothing to overcome the deep divisions that have blocked every attempt over the past decade.  Judge Hanen‘s bombshell opinion said the program, invented by the Obama administration in 2012, cut too many corners and cannot legally stand.  He halted approvals of applications, though he said the more than 615,000 active DACA recipients would retain their protections.  This puts the program back on the same footing it had during most of the Trump administration, and it tosses a political hand grenade into the laps of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. July 18: The Washington Examiner:  GOP opposes expanded IRS enforcement as part of the massive infrastructure bill GOP senators working to negotiate a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill are ditching plans to strengthen enforcement at the Internal Revenue Service as a way to pay for the legislation, Senator Portman (R-OH) said, Sunday.  Portman is one of 22 senators working to negotiate a compromise solution.  The proposal to increase IRS enforcement was floating like a lead zeppelin among his colleagues.  "One reason it's not part of the proposal is that we did have pushback. Another reason is that we found out that the Democrats were going to put a proposal into the reconciliation package, which was not just similar to the one we had but with a lot more IRS enforcement," he said.  July 18: Fox News: Former Surgeon General; the face mask mandates might have been premature and wrong Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said coronavirus mask guidance may be "premature" or "wrong" in the face of potentially dangerous new variants.   Adams served as surgeon general under Trump, taking a prominent role throughout the early phase to fight off the pandemic. He recently voiced his own regrets and concerns over mask mandates since then.   "Last year Tony Fauci and I famously, prematurely, & wrongly advised against masks," Adams wrote in a rare admission of a misstep. "I felt it was the best call at the time, but now regret it."   "I’m worried the CDC also made a similarly premature, misinterpreted, yet still harmful call on masking in the face of [rising] delta variant."   He urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to instead advise people to get vaccinated and wear masks in areas with higher cases of COVID-19 until numbers start to decline.  July 17: One America News Network:  TEA Party president calls for GA statewide ballot audit (video) The president of Tea Party Patriots says in light of evidence of provable fraud in Fulton County, a forensic audit of ballots should be expanded to include all of Georgia.  July 17: Fox News: US AG disregards pledge to be nonpolitical; blasts states that strengthen election integrity laws Attorney General Merrick Garland violated his pledge to avoid "politicizing" the Department of Justice (DOJ) by blasting states' election laws in a statement honoring the one year anniversary of the death of civil rights giant Democratic Rep. John Lewis.  "Since 2013, there has been a dramatic rise across the country in legislative efforts that make it harder for millions of citizens to vote. This increase accelerated after the 2020 elections," Garland said on Saturday.  "The recent further narrowing of voting protections only underscores the need for legislative action. The Department of Justice is using all the tools at its disposal to protect the voting rights of all citizens, but that is not enough. We need Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would provide the Department with important tools to protect the right to vote and to ensure that every vote is counted." July 17: The Epoch Times: Legal teams seeking extent of Biden’s coordination with Big Tech in efforts to censor free speech   A legal group is seeking information on the extent of the Biden administration’s coordination with Big Tech  after White House officials this week said they were in regular communication with the companies.  America First Legal filed on Friday a flurry of Freedom of Information Act requests seeking details on U.S. government agency communications relating to the current administration’s effort to push Big Tech to censor speech.  White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday told reporters that the administration is in regular touch with social media platforms and that officials are “flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.”  Psaki, “from the White House press room, announced that the federal government is coordinating with social media platforms to silence Americans’ voices,” Matthew Whitaker, former acting attorney general and an America First Legal board member said. July 16: The Daily Caller: “Any sane person would say hell no”: Greg Gutfeld says White House can’t be trusted to identify “misinformation” Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said Friday that the White House should not be trusted to identify and flag “misinformation” for Facebook.  Gutfeld and “The Five” co-host Jesse Watters argued that the White House did not have the best track record when it came to identifying false narratives — and that the “collusion” between the federal government and a social media platform like Facebook should be a huge red flag.  Watters began the segment with a clip of White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who explained that the White House was partnering with Facebook in order to stop the spread of misinformation specifically with regard to the coronavirus vaccines. Psaki argued that false narratives about the vaccines were putting people at risk.  “If you are a government official, you can crackdown on free speech and just say, ‘Saving lives. We are going to take away your First Amendment. Saving lives,'” Watters said in response.  July  16: The Washington Free Beacon: The U.S. could provide Cuban people internet access cut off by the Communist regime Federal Communications commissioner Brendan Carr says high-altitude balloons could be used to deliver internet to Cuba, as the country's communist regime shut down internet access to block protests from spreading across the country.  "There's an urgent need right now," he said, but "a lot depends on the level of federal support." The federal government could leverage a defunct google initiative that used stratospheric balloons like cell towers to deliver internet access.  Called Project Loon, the initiative was shuttered due to a lack of commercial viability. Sourcing the balloons and "de-mothballing" them from warehouses would pose a logistical problem but noted the technology had been successfully used around the world, including in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria destroyed cell towers in the country.  “The question is, how do we create the opportunity to continue to share videos and photos?"  Cubans have long struggled to access the web in Country due to censorship and poor internet infrastructure. According to the nonprofit Freedom House, Cuba has one of the lowest connectivity rates in the Western Hemisphere. Most Cubans don’t have access to the outside world.  Here’s a thought, how about using Gitmo as an internet hub.  At least that could reach the southeastern part of the island. July 16: Fox News: Federal Judge: Biden Admin ordered to end new DACA applications A federal judge on Friday ordered the Biden administration to stop all applications for the  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, after a coalition of states sued and claimed that the Obama-era program was illegal.  DACA was established under the Obama administration in 2012 and granted protection from deportation for approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to the country as children.  Judge Andrew Hanen, a Texas judge, found that DHS violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in creating the policy. He found that the policy was "illegally implemented" and ordered DHS to stop approving DACA applications, although he said it does not affect the status of any current DACA recipients.  Joe Biden signed a memo after entering office to protect DACA, ordering DHS to take "all appropriate actions under the law" to preserve the program and calling on Congress to give a path to citizenship for recipients. July 16: One America News Network: Effort to suppress free speech re: COVID-19: Biden to monitor social media posts and to counter those it doesn’t like The White House announced their efforts with Facebook to take aggressive action on problematic social media posts. The administration said they would work to flag and censor anything they deemed to be disinformation about COVID-19.  Biden’s surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy announced his advisory on the dangers of health misinformation, which he called a “public health threat.”  The question one might ask is how would the mainstream media react if President Trump had attempted to take a similar action?  So far this time around there is little pushback from the media on this attempt to stifle free speech and to impose censorship. July 15: One America News Network: More problems found in the Georgia 2020 election (video) In Georgia the law requires you to vote in the county you live in.  If you move to a new county within the state, you have 30 days to move your registration.  If you fail to do so, you will not be registered to vote.  Over all, in Georgia, the data indicates there were over 100,000 people who were in that position but still voted illegally, many unintentionally.  The data indicates that at least 35,000 cast votes in Georgia should be stricken from the election totals.  Joe Biden, reportedly won the election in Georgia by approximately 12,000 votes. July 15: The Daily Caller: The White House is working closely with Facebook to flag what they term “disinformation” on social media White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the White House is not only working with Facebook to flag disinformation on vaccines — it’s also asking Facebook to share data on the reach and engagement of posts deemed disinformation.  “We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,” she said.  Facebook was one of several social media platforms that attempted to suppress discussion of the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab, calling such discussion misinformation. Evidence has since been uncovered suggesting the theory holds merit.  July 15: Fox News Texas House Speaker charters flight for Democrats to return to Austin Texas' Republican House Speaker announced that he plans to charter a plane that will be on "standby" in Washington, D.C. waiting to bring home Democratic lawmakers that fled the state to avoid voting on an election integrity bill.   "I am demanding all of our colleagues in D.C. to contact my staff immediately in order to secure their seat on the plane and return to Austin in order to do the state's business," Speaker Dade Phelan said.  "The State of Texas is waiting." In addition to chartering the plane, Phelan also stripped El Paso Democrat Joe Moody of his leadership post.  Without the chamber quorum, Republicans have been unable to act on the legislation and voted on Tuesday to order state law enforcement officials to track down the fugitive members.  July 15: The Epoch Times: Analysis of ballot images in Georgia shows very probable voter fraud  A group seeking to ensure that elections are run fairly said this week that an in-depth analysis of mail-in ballot images obtained through a court order shows that the hand-count audit in  Fulton County Georgia last year “was riddled with massive errors and provable fraud.”  The analysis of a sampling of ballots turned up at least 36 batches of mail-in ballots, containing 4,255 votes, that were added redundantly to the audit results, according to Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia (VoterGA). Nearly 3,400 were for Democrat Joe Biden.  They also found seven audit tally sheets they believe were falsified to contain fabricated vote totals. In one example, the group said, a batch containing 59 ballot images for Biden and 42 for former President Donald Trump was reported as 100 for Biden and zero for Trump.  The analysis also revealed that 60% of the 1,539 mail-in batch files contained votes that were incorrectly reported by Fulton County election officials. July 15: The Washington Free Beacon: Texas Democrat moves to counter Biden decision to allow the mail order of abortion drugs Texas Democrat Senator Eddie Lucio is leading the charge to outlaw mail-order abortions after the Biden administration made the controversial decision to legalize the practice.  He sponsored legislation to enact criminal penalties against companies and individuals who ship abortion drugs directly to women by mail. Joe Biden’s federal regulators overturned a long-standing prohibition against abortion by mail in April, prompting pushback from pro-life lawmakers at the state level.  "The federal government has chosen not to enforce its regulations. … It will allow access to these drugs through the mail, and that is a major concern to me and to many people," Lucio said.   "Our thought here with this legislation is that pharmaceutical companies would not be able to mail the patient, or the woman, what we consider dangerous abortion pills." July 14: Rumble.com: Tucker Carlson reports on the Georgia vote audit; it’s an eye opener (video) Ballots scanned at least twice, mail-in ballots that were not folded as they would have to be if actually mailed, ballots that appear to have been filled in by a machine (printer) verses by a person and all voting for the same candidates, 35,000 voters who no longer lived in the county they voted in; it is all laid out in this Tucker Carlson Tonight video.  And this happened in a state where Joe Biden supposedly won by fewer than 13,000 votes.  But that is not all, the Senate races, two of them, could also have been impacted. July 13: One America News Network: Arizona State Senator: Audit results don’t match the 2020 election results Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-AZ) suggested the audit of 2020 elections was set to reveal massive fraud by Democrats. In a tweet on Tuesday, Rogers said the numbers from the Arizona audit did not match the purported outcomes of 2020 elections.  The senator added it was still unclear by how many votes or whether the audit would change election outcomes. This comes after Senate President Karen Fann (R-AZ) said the numbers didn’t match in Maricopa County, as suspected previously.  “All we’re doing is just counting number of ballots. It’s a paper counting machine, is all it does,” she explained. “They haven’t released a number yet if you will, however, we do know that those do not match with the Maricopa County at this point.” July 13: Fox News: The Five host blasts Biden for lying about election integrity legislation and inserting race into everything Biden claimed Republican-led election security reforms in states such as Texas, Georgia and Pennsylvania are akin to "facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War."  On "The Five," Greg Gutfeld said he was upset by Biden's race-infused rhetoric.  "He is a pathological, shameless liar," he said. "He ran on being a unifier, and all he does is bank on racial discontent. He is comparing this bill to the KKK [and] Jim Crow. All he does is foment racial conflict," Gutfeld said, additionally referencing the Texas election integrity bill that spurred the Democrats to leave the state. " In his speech, Biden said 17 states have enacted 28 new laws to "make it harder for Americans to vote."  Unfortunately, for those who actually read the Texas legislation, the opposite is the case with voting hours expanded and the option of correcting defects on absentee ballots (e.g., if a voter fails to sign the carrier envelope). July 13: NewsMax: 4th Circuit Court says it is unconstitutional to keep 18-20 year-olds from having guns A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that regulations setting a minimum age of 21 for handgun purchases from licensed dealers violates the Second American rights of those citizens.  The three-judge panel delivered the ruling in a split vote 2-1, with an appointee of former President Donald Trump writing the majority opinion, arguing the laws relegated "either the Second Amendment or 18- to 20-year-olds to a second-class status."   "Looking through this historical lens to the text and structure of the Constitution reveals that 18- to 20-year-olds have Second Amendment rights," Judge Julius N. Richardson wrote. "Virtually every other constitutional right applies whatever the age. And the Second Amendment is no different." July 13: The Washington Times: China deploys military early warning aircraft to disputed South China Sea Islands China’s military recently deployed electronic warning and surveillance aircraft and helicopters on two disputed islands in the South China Sea in what analysts say is a sign that the People’s Liberation Army has begun routine air operations from the bases.  Satellite images show deployments in May and June of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. Other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef in June and this month.  Last year, KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare aircraft were deployed on a third island base on Fiery Cross Reef. July 12: The Daily Caller: Texas Dems can’t win in the legislature so their legislators are in Washington, DC vowing to stay out of the state until the special session is over Texas Democrats fled their state Monday for a maskless flight to Washington D.C., with a case of Miller Lites in order to deny a quorum and prevent the passage of a Republican-proposed election integrity bill. Lt. Governor Patrick tweeted "Smiling House Dems fly off to DC on a private jet with a case of Miller Lite, breaking House quorum, abandoning their constituents, while the Senate still works. It’s my hope that Senate Dems report tomorrow to do what they were elected to do. We will vote on SB 1." Shortly after landing in Washington D.C. the House Democrats indicated they plan to remain out of state until the end of the special legislative session that ends Aug. 6.  The Democrats realize that they don’t have the votes to stop the legislation any other way.  The problem with their tactic is that there’s no limit on the Governor calling special sessions and he could continue to call them until the bills he wants considered are finally brought to the House floor for a vote. Additionally, the Senate Finance Committee has placed a hold on funding the State Legislature, a measure the governor used his line-item veto to strike from the state’s funding measure during the regular session.  Funding for the state legislature runs out on September 1st, meaning they will no longer have any staff for the following two years.  The rumor is that the Texas Democrats picked Washington, DC so they could lobby Congress to pass federal election legislation.  However,  as long as the filibuster continues to be in play – and it seems unlikely to go away – there are not enough votes in the U.S. Senate to invoke cloture. [This summary was expanded by our Editor to give you additional context and a fuller and more complete story] July 12: The Epoch Times: Texas moves election bills forward; Will the Democrats stay to allow them to be considered? The Texas Legislature moved closer to passing several voting bills that prompted Democrat legislators in May to stage a walkout.  During a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) over the weekend worked to advance several voting bills during oversight hearings. On Sunday, a Texas House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies voted to advance a bill (HB 3) that would bring back a number of voting integrity-related proposals that didn’t pass during the previous session that ended May 30. Later on Sunday, Senate lawmakers advanced its version (SB 1) of the voting legislation in a committee vote. Chairman Hughes of the Senate State Affairs Committee said the debate over the measure is now “bitterly partisan” but argued that “most of the security measures in Senate Bill 1 are not aimed at individual voters.” “The security measures in this bill, by and large, are directed at vote harvesters or folks who are trying to steal votes,” he continued.  Meanwhile state Democrats are calling the measure “racist” and object to prohibiting 24-hour voting, the prohibition on using unstaffed drop boxes for mail in ballots, protections to ensure poll watchers are allowed to observe what election officials are doing in polling places and the prohibition on drive thru voting.  From my reading of the measures, I see nothing directed at people of color or minority groups. The bills are laser focused on ensuring everybody can vote while ensuring integrity of the voting process.  It remains unclear whether Democrats will repeat their tactic of walking out, thereby denying the House a quorum in order to proceed.  Rumors are that some Democrat members have made plans to leave the state in order to block floor consideration of these measures. July 12: Fox News:  US Democratic socialists ignore Cuban protestors demonstrating against their communist dictatorship Anti-government protests broke out Sunday in Cuba demanding freedom and calling on the disbandment of the country’s communist dictatorship, all while some of the U.S.’ most outspoken, self-professed Democratic socialists appear to be in lockstep by not acknowledging the historic events unfolding on the island about 90 miles from Florida.  Fox News has emailed Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Sen. Bernie Sanders and have yet to receive a response from any of them. As of early Monday, none have even mentioned the protest on social media.  Thousands of Cubans marched on Havana’s Malecon promenade and elsewhere to protest food shortages, high prices and the coronavirus outbreak in one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in the country ever.  July 12: The Daily Caller: Democrats and media go ballistic over Texas “heartbeat” bill Media figures and Democrats melted down Monday over a new Texas law that gives Americans the right to sue abortion clinics or individuals who help mothers obtain abortions in the state of Texas.  Texas’ Heartbeat Act, signed into law May 19, bans abortions after the unborn baby‘s heartbeat can be detected (usually by about six weeks). The law, which makes exceptions for medical emergencies but not in cases of rape or incest, gives private citizens both in and out of Texas the power to sue abortion clinics or individuals who help women obtain abortions. This may make the law more difficult to challenge in court, the Texas Tribune reported. July 12: Fox News: Hume: Harris was really stupid to attack voter ID and say rural voters cannot find an office supply store Brit Hume reacted Monday to Kamala Harris bemoaning "rural" residents who apparently cannot find an office supply store to photocopy their driver's license to send to state election authorities. He told Special Report voter ID is a "tricky issue" for Democrats. "They're trying to label Republicans as people who want to suppress the vote.” But many of the things the GOP is getting passed across the country are very popular “and voter I.D. Is very high on that list," he said. "I think it's politically really stupid to come out and criticize voter I.D."  Hume added that Biden advisers are likely contemplating the effectiveness of having Harris out front as the point person on several such controversial issues like election reform, illegal immigration and border security.  He contended that sometimes she seems like a lightweight.    Harris was criticized for her visit to El Paso, Texas, after months of being ripped by critics for failing to visit the southern border. Then critics pointed out El Paso is some 800 miles upstream on the Rio Grande from the epicenter of the illegal immigration and human and drug trafficking crisis in places like McAllen, Del Rio and Roma. July 11: Fox News: Trump tops the list of potential GOP presidential candidates in 2024 in CPAC straw poll Twenty-four GOP presidential nomination poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering in Dallas this weekend put Donald Trump way out in front in their poll of potential presidential candidates, with 70% for Trump.  Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis came it second with 21%.  No one else among the 19 potential 2024 Republican White House contenders topped 1%. July 11: One America News Network: Arizona awaits final verification of election audit’s results (video) The Arizona state Senate has asked the election auditors to conduct a machine recount of the number of ballots to verify their findings. Sen. Sonny Borrelli (R-AZ) says the move is designed to confirm the audit results and provide an additional level of scrutiny. July 11: The Epoch Times: Thousands of Cubans protest nation’s dictatorship across the Island Thousands of Cubans took to the streets on Sunday in a number of cities to protest against human rights abuses, a lack of freedom, and a worsening economic situation in the communist-ruled country. Videos uploaded to social media appear to show demonstrations in a number of towns and cities, including the capital city of Havana.  Protesters, chanting in Spanish, said they “weren’t afraid” of the regime led by Miguel Diaz Canel, and said they wanted access to COVID-19 vaccines and an end to the regime.  The protest come amid reports of widespread shortages of, electricity, and vaccine across the Caribbean Island nation. This appears to be the first demonstrations against the government since 1994 and the first time that so many had protesters have been involved.  Shouts of “down with the dictatorship,” and “homeland and life” were also heard during the demonstrations, according to footage uploaded online. July 10: One America News Network: 37 states suing Google for anti-trust violations, Utah leads the charge (video) Thirty-seven Attorneys General file a lawsuit against Google, alleging the company’s control over its Android app store violates antitrust law. Utah’s Attorney General, Sean Reyes, is leading the bipartisan lawsuit about the matter. July 10: The Washington Times:  Parents groups vow to fight Critical Race Theory and not to back down Parents groups formed to combat critical race theory in K-12 schools vowed not to back down after teachers’ unions said this week that they would go to court to allow the concept to be taught in the nation’s classrooms.  The leaders of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have vowed to use their deep pockets and extensive political and lobbying muscle to defend teachers who support curriculums infused with critical race theory, which teaches that American laws and systems are inherently racist, and to employ opposition research teams to go after the groups hostile to that teaching.  “We aren’t afraid of them,” said Tina Descovich, a co-founder of Moms For Justice, a group that formed in large part to protest school shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now opposed to what it regards as divisive and harmful critical race theory methods.  July 10: The Washington Examiner: Harris lambasted for remarks on rural voters’ ability to cast ballots Kamala Harris was decried for saying that some voter identification laws make it "almost impossible" for rural voters at the ballot box, with critics suggesting she doesn't think rural citizens have the wherewithal to use a copy machine.   Election laws requiring voters to include a copy of identification with their ballots threaten to shut out those who might not have access to a photocopier, Harris said.   Critics suggested Harris doesn't understand life in rural America.     This reminds me that they made Kamala Harris who has only ever lived in cities an envoy to rural Americans," said journalist Zaid Jilani. July 9: The Epoch Times: Biden attempts to fire SSA Administrator, but he refuses to leave Joe Biden on Friday attempted to fire Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, according to the commissioner, who said he won’t leave his post and will log into work on Monday morning because his term isn’t over. Saul was appointed by Trump to a six-year term.   In an interview with the Washington Post, Saul said he received an email from the White House Personnel Office on Friday morning about their decision. However, Saul is challenging the legality of the Biden administration’s decision.  Saul’s term is slated to expire in January 2025.  “I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security,” he said, calling the attempted ouster a “Friday Night Massacre” and an “abuse” of power.  Republican lawmakers criticized the White House’s move to oust him.  “This removal would be an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wrote. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) noted Saul was confirmed by a “wide bipartisan margin” and has several years remaining in his term. July 9: Breitbart  News: Biden nominee tried to cover up Master’s Thesis advocating population control Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requested last year that the University of Montana restrict access to her controversial master’s thesis, which advocated for the creation of population control propaganda for environmental reasons. The university confirmed the request to limit access to the thesis entitled Into the heart of the beast | A case for environmental advertising, which Stone-Manning authored in 1992.  In it Stone-Manning advocated for U.S. population control propaganda through a series of advertisements intended to “tug at the root of many of our environmental horrors, overpopulation.”  In other words she wanted to limit the U.S. population so that it would alleviate perceived stresses to the environment caused by humans. July 9: The Washington Times: Rhetoric escalates over Biden’s move to go door-to-door “encouraging(?)” people to get vaccinated The White House on Friday said GOP governors who rejected President Biden’s door-to-door vaccine effort are fueling attitudes that are “literally killing people.”  Biden’s Press Secretary Psaki characterized the proposed door-to-door campaign as an effort to inform the public. She said the governors had mischaracterized the initiative.   South Carolina Governor McMasters had directed state health officials to thwart the door knocking effort saying it was akin to pressuring people to get vaccinated.  “The prospect of government vaccination teams showing up unannounced or unrequested at the door of ‘targeted’ homeowners or on their property will further deteriorate the public’s trust and could lead to potentially disastrous public safety consequences,” Mr. McMaster wrote. July 8: Fox News: Ads running during All-Star game hitting GA Senator Warnock over MLB move from Atlanta The National Republican Senatorial Committee will run an ad in Georgia during the MBL’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby criticizing Sen. Raphael Warnock over the fact the MLB moved the event from Atlanta to Denver over Georgia's election security law.  The ad will run during both the Home Run Derby on ESPN Monday, July 12 and the All-Star Game itself the following day.  The NRSC said the ad buy will cost about $100,000 in total. "The All-Star Game, a $100 million boost to Georgia's economy, until the radical left woke crowd took it all away, forcing the MLB to boycott Georgia," the ad says. "Even Stacey Abrams opposed the boycott, but Sen. Warnock refused to oppose it."  July 8: The Daily Caller: Obama ethics chief calls Biden out for helping shield buyers of Hunter’s artwork Ethics experts and art critics are raising concerns about Hunter Biden’s upcoming art show, in which his paintings are expected to sell for prices from $75,000 to as high as $500,000. The White House helped broker a deal under which the buyers of Biden’s “artwork” will be kept entirely anonymous even to Hunter himself, according to the Washington Post. The owner of the New York gallery where Biden’s show will take place, Georges Bergès, is also planning to set the prices for the art and withhold all sales records.  Walter Shaub, who led the Office of Government Ethics under President Barack Obama, also voiced his concerns to the Post. “Because we don’t know who is paying for this art and we don’t know for sure that [Hunter Biden] knows, we have no way of monitoring whether people are buying access to the White House,” said Shaub. “What these people are paying for is Hunter Biden’s last name.” July 8: One America News Network: HHS Secretary attempts to defend door-to-door effort for people who refused to be vaccinated While Joe Biden and his cabinet remain fixated on raising the American vaccination rate, Republicans are pushing back against their methods of doing so. During an interview Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the Biden administration has requested the names of Americans who have “refused” to take the experimental vaccine. Becerra failed to acknowledge that COVID-19 has a 99 percent survival rate. Instead, he claimed Americans must now give up their privacy to the government in return for stimulus checks.  “It is our business to try and make sure Americans can prosper, Americans can freely associate…and knocking on a door has never been against the law. You don’t have to answer, but we hope you do because if you haven’t been vaccinated we can help dispel some of those rumors that you’ve heard and hopefully get you vaccinated,” said Becerra. July 8: The Washington Times: Harris: The DNC voter registration drive is needed to stop GOP from “taking our power” Well we always knew it but now there is no doubt, Kamala Harris is all about “power!”  She announced Thursday that the Democratic National Committee is more than doubling its spending to $45 million on voter registration to combat new Republican-backed state election laws.  Speaking at Howard University in Washington Harris said 17 states have enacted laws this year “that will make it harder for Americans to vote” by curtailing early voting and vote-by-mail.  She said the DNC is countering those efforts by adding $25 million to its previous pool of $20 million to “protect” voting.  Harris said. “We will not let anyone take away our power.” July 7: One America News Network: President Trump announces class action suit against Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and their CEOs President Trump announced a class action lawsuit against tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter as well as their CEOs. While speaking at a press conference in New Jersey Wednesday, Trump said the suit demands an end to shadow bans and censorship of differing viewpoints.  He went on to say he believes the case is “very compelling” and has no interest in seeking a settlement before a trial. He added, tech giants are working in conjunction with the mainstream media to suppress opposing views.   He said,  “There is no better evidence that Big Tech is out of control than the fact that they banned the sitting president of the United States earlier this year, a ban that continues to this day.  If they can do it to me, they can do it to anyone and, in fact, that is exactly what they’re doing.”  The suit also seeks punitive damages and injunctive relief. Anyone who has been a user of any of the three platforms, has resided in the U.S. between June of 2018 to present day and has had their account banned or censored by the defendants can join the suit. July 7: The Washington Times: Tucker Carlson claims NSA leaked the content of his email to other journalists; he got a call from one of them who read the contents thereof back to him Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed Wednesday that the U.S. National Security Agency [NSA] leaked to journalists the contents of his private correspondence.  “I learned that the NSA leaked the contents of my email to journalists in an effort to discredit me,” Carlson disclosed on the Fox Business channel.  “I know because I got a call from one of them saying ‘Oh, this is what your email was about’,” Carlson said.  He said he received the call Tuesday night shortly before his latest show aired.   “I got a call before air, like 7:15, from a journalist I know and like … and he repeated back to me what’s in my email.   He got it because the NSA had leaked it,” Carlson claimed.  It is illegal for the NSA to spy on U.S. citizens in the U.S.A.  If it can happen to Tucker Carlson, it can also happen to anyone they choose and weaponizing the intelligence community for political purposes is a dangerous thing. July 7: The Epoch Times: Pennsylvania Senate Chair initiates forensic audit of PA 2020-21 elections A Pennsylvania state senator on Wednesday announced that he has triggered a forensic investigation of the 2020 and 2021 elections.  Doug Mastriano issued letters to several counties requesting information and materials that he said would enable an investigation. The counties included Philadelphia and York which represent different geographical regions and different political majorities.  “… millions of Pennsylvanians have serious doubts about the accuracy of the 2020 General Election,” Mastriano said. At least 40% “…of Pennsylvania voters are not confident that the results of the 2020 Election accurately reflected how Pennsylvanians voted” he contended. He believes there is a strong case for an investigation, noting that 2.7 million mail-in ballots were counted in the 2020 election, compared to just 263,000 in the prior presidential election, many without signature verification.  The counties were told to produce their records by July 31 which is within the federal 22-month records retention requirement.  If one or more counties do not comply, Mastriano plans to convene his committee and ask members to grant him subpoena power to force compliance.  He said his goal “…is to find out if our elections were safe and secure and if they weren’t, what went wrong and how are we going to address this.” July 7: Fox News: Children of mothers who openly opposed CRT barred from private school in Ohio In a continuing effort to silence the voices opposing the segregationist approach to race relations a private Ohio school (The Columbus Academy) denied re-enrollment to several students, alleging that their mothers breached part of their contract by leading a public campaign against the school's purported attempt to "indoctrinate" students with left-wing ideas (i.e., Critical Race Theory).  "I feel like it is unfortunate that when you are speaking out and you are trying to say your truth, unfortunately, there are people who want to retaliate against you. In this case, they retaliated against our children, who are innocent," Andrea Gross said with Amy Gonzalez alongside her.  [Editorial Comment: The other side of the coin is who would want to have their child in a school that teaches CRT?  Instead of trying to bring people together, CRT is an effort to divide, or segregate, people based upon their race.  Shouldn’t we all be looking for things we can agree upon and the different talents we can bring to the table as opposed to building barriers and pitting one group of people against another?] July 6: The Daily Caller: Raytheon, Defense Contractor, pushing Critical Race Theory; White employees to confront their “privilege!” Newly leaked documents show the second-largest defense contractor in America launched a Critical Race Theory (CRT) program last summer in which white employees are encouraged to confront their “privilege,” reject the principle of “equality,” and “defund the police.”  Activist Christopher Rufo published internal documents from Raytheon Tuesday that give an inside look into the company’s CRT programs.  Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes launched the “Stronger Together” campaign, instructing employees on “becoming an anti-racist today,” asked all employees to sign a “corporate diversity” pledge and check their biases, according to the leaked documents.  The program embraces the concept of “intersectionality,” encouraging white employees to “identify their privilege” and “step aside” for minority voices that are “more important than your own,” documents show.  CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist and teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race.  Unfortunately, instead of trying to bring people together CRT is an effort to divide, or segregate, people based upon their race. July 6: One America News Network:  Well Hello! Nine key OECD nations reject Biden “Global Tax Plan” Joe Biden’s proposal to impose a global tax on the corporate sectors ran into a pushback by a number of foreign countries. At least nine members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have rejected Biden’s proposal to impose a 15 percent global tax.  U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced 130 of the 139 nations reached an agreement of the global minimum tax. The remaining nine nations including Hungary, Ireland and Peru have rejected the proposal. These foreign countries have maintained low corporate tax rates and argued their economies greatly benefit from hosting the headquarters of global corporations, especially in the technology sector.  And why should other nations try to cover for bad economic decisions made in the United States? July 6: The Washington Times:  SCOTUS hands Kamala Harris a defeat with its donor privacy decision Her name is no longer on the case, but Kamala Harris suffered a Supreme Court smackdown last week when the justices toppled California’s donor-disclosure requirement for charities.  As California attorney general, Harris turned up the heat on charitable nonprofits by insisting that they submit to her office the names of leading donors, then threatening to levy fines and suspend their state registrations if the groups refused to comply.   After a six-year legal battle SCOTUS in a 6-3 decision that found California’s demand for donor data “facially unconstitutional.”  The case now bears the name of the current California AG but it all started with Kamala Harris held that position and conservatives and free-speech advocates want to ensure that the pivotal role played Harris is never forgotten. July 6: Townhall.com:  Plan B: After falling short of the July 4th 70% vaccinated target, Biden now wants to send people door-to-door to “convince” them to take the shots After falling short, the administration is trying to come up with new ways to get Americans vaccinated. During the daily White House briefing Tuesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed government officials plan to engage in vaccine outreach by going "door-to-door."  "Targeted community-by-community, door-to-door outreach to get remaining Americans vaccinated by ensuring they have the information they need about how safe and effective the vaccine is," Psaki said.   "Now we need to go community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood and often times, door to doors. Literally, knocking on doors," Biden said.  Talk about coercion?  This approach is raising eye brows, especially from those who have decided they don’t trust the vaccine and don’t want it.  What if a person refuses after getting a personal visit from their federal government advocate?  Will there be consequences?  Who knows? July 6: The Daily Caller: Gas prices reach their highest level in six years amid low supply and high demand, stoking fears of inflation Oil prices climbed to a six-year high Tuesday as OPEC and Russia continue to tamp down on global output.  OPEC failed to meet in its third attempt to discuss surging prices and an increase in oil consumption amid an opening global economy. July 4th gas prices were reportedly among the highest in almost seven years at a national average of $3 a gallon.  The price and demand increase is causing concern among executives and OPEC leaders that higher prices could impact the economic recovery from the pandemic and ramp up inflation. July 5: One America News Network: Military: Many say they will quit if forced to take Covid-19 vaccine Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) launched an effort to prevent forced vaccinations in the military after a massive outreach by troops. In a tweet on Monday, Massie said Democrats have attacked his recent proposal to ban forced vaccinations of U.S. troops. The congressman added he introduced HR 3860 to outlaw vaccine mandates in the military, which has been already back by 24 lawmakers. This came after reports claimed Joe Biden’s Pentagon might require vaccination for U.S. troops by September.  Maddie said service members reached out to him and warned of their resignation if vaccination mandates were to happen July 5: The Washington Times: PA State Senate takes steps to conduct a privately funded Arizona-type election audit Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Senate are discussing launching a privately funded audit of the 2020 election.  A three-senator delegation led by state Sen. Doug Mastriano visited Arizona in June to receive an overview of the Maricopa County probe into the election and last week sought legal advice from a Pennsylvania law firm on the legality of using private funds to finance a similar endeavor, according to The Associated Press.  “Transparency is a must in our republic,” the delegation said in a press release last month announcing their plans to visit the Maricopa Election Forensic Election Audit. “Every citizen should be confident that their vote counts.”  The proposal for an Arizona-type audit in Pennsylvania is likely to face opposition from Democratic lawmakers and in state courts, but a Philadelphia-based lawyer said the probe could be permissible under state law. July 5: The Washington Examiner: Calls are being made to defund NPR after it tweeted the Declaration of Independence has “flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies” Many conservatives are calling to defund National Public Radio after it tweeted that the Declaration of Independence is "a document with flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies."  After the liberal-leaning news organization posted a  Twitter thread on Sunday saying the Declaration "includes a racist slur against Indigenous Americans" while also "la[ying] the foundation for this country’s collective aspirations — the hopes for what America could be," many on the Right called for NPR's to be defunded. July 5: One America News Network: China reveals plans for invasion of Taiwan The Chinese state media released Beijing’s supposed plan of invading Taiwan, which has sparked concerns in Japan and South Korea. British Newspaper The Sun cited a Chinese propaganda outlet on Monday reporting Beijing’s plans to invade and defeat Taiwan in three steps.  The first step would be a sudden attack of Taiwanese military bases, followed by the second step of cruise-missile strikes on infrastructure. The third step was described as a bombardment of Taiwan by Chinese warships.  July 4: The Daily Caller: Stacy Abrams purchased two homes valued at $1.4 million after reporting massive debts in 2018; How do you suppose that happened? Former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams purchased two homes worth a combined $1.4 million following her failed 2018 bid to lead the state, public records  show.  Abrams purchased the homes despite reporting in a financial disclosure in early 2018 during her gubernatorial campaign that she owed the IRS $54,000 in back taxes on top of $174,000 in credit card and student loan debt.  Abrams purchased a 3,300 square foot home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, for $370,000 in September 2019, according to Nexis real estate records. The home is now worth $425,000, according to Redfin.  Just over a year later, in October 2020, Abrams sold an Atlanta townhome she purchased in 2004 and bought a 4,100 square foot home in the city for $975,000, Nexis records show. Her new Atlanta home is now valued at just over $1 million, according to Redfin.  Abrams’ financial situation appears to have improved considerably since her 2018 election loss to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.   According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she repaid her tax, credit card and student loan obligations entirely by May 2019.  Wonder how she did all that after reporting all the debts in 2018? July 3: One America News Network: Dem. Biden’s commission on the SCOTUS discusses term limits [Editorial Questions, why isn't this discussed when progressive justices are in the majority?   Why are they also not including term limits for Members of Congress?] Joe Biden’s Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court held its second virtual meeting this week, where some pushed for term limits for justices. Reports mentioned some on the commission claimed the court was a “political institution” and argued term limits could eliminate the political incentives of the appointment process.  One person proposed 18-year staggered term limits, but opposed adding more judges. The Supreme Court currently has nine justices. The staggered term limits would result in a vacancy every couple of years, which would give each president two appointees per term.  Biden created the commission through executive order in April. Republicans in both the House and the Senate have slammed the commission and argued it was a clear indication of the radical left’s great influence over Biden. Other people are asking why not do the same for Members of Congress?  After all, they too are part of the “political institutions!” July 3: The Epoch Times: Federal judge strikes down tax provision of the $1.9 trillion relief package A federal judge issued a permanent injunction on Thursday to block the ambiguous tax mandate in Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole [from the District Court for the Southern District of  Ohio] ruled that the tax mandate in the America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) exceeds the Congress’s authority under the Spending Clause due to its ambiguity.  The Interim Final Rule (IFR) issued by the Treasury Department intended to clarify the tax mandate “does not cure that constitutional violation,” the judge said.  The judge’s decision granted the State of Ohio’s motion for a permanent injunction that keeps the Department of the Treasury from enforcing the Tax Mandate.  The judge also expressed concerns that the tax mandate has breached the separation-of-powers principles laid down by the framers.  The Ohio Attorney General applauded the ruling and criticizing the Biden administration of overreaching.  “The Biden administration reached too far, seized too much, and got its hand slapped,” Attorney General Yost said. “This is a monumental win for the preservation of the U.S. Constitution—the separation of powers is real, and it exists for a reason.” July 3: Fox News: Egyptian man with an expired visa violently attacks Jewish rabbi in Boston An Egyptian man who is accused of stabbing a rabbi outside of a Boston Jewish day school on Thursday overstayed his student visa and lost his legal status to be in the USA on May 14,  ICE officials confirmed.  Khaled Awad, 24, allegedly approached Rabbi Shlomo Noginski with a gun and demanded his car keys, at which point Noginski ran across the street to a park, where Awad stabbed him in the arm multiple times.  Reportedly Awad came to the United States in August 2019 on a student visa.  He failed to stay in college and on May 14th lost his legal status to remain in the USA.  Rabbi Shlomo Noginsk  is in stable condition and looking forward to resuming his Torah classes, Rabbi Dan Rodkin, wrote.  Awad allegedly pointed what appeared to be a firearm at police when they located him shortly after the stabbing. Three officers then drew their guns and told him to drop his weapon, which he did.  July 2: One America News Network: MO AG asks SCOTUS to hear abortion case The Republican Attorney General in Missouri has requested the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a controversial abortion case coming out of his state. On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Schmitt sent a formal petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court decision against a state abortion law.  The lower court struck a 2019 law that banned abortion based solely on a prenatal diagnosis such as Down syndrome. Doctors were set to face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of violating the law, which so far has failed to go into effect.  There is currently one remaining abortion clinic in Missouri, with state Republicans working to defund the Planned Parenthood in Saint Louis. July 2: Fox News: Texas sheriffs sue Biden admin over immigration policy barring deportations Four Texas sheriffs, their counties, and ICE representatives have sued Joe Biden and officials as the Department of Homeland Security for preventing federal officers from deporting  illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds.  Kinney, Edwards, McMullen and Hudspeth counties along with the Federal Police Foundation filed a complaint Thursday calling on the Biden administration to allow ICE officials to do their job.  The lawsuit alleges DHS paused deportations and enticed criminal immigrants to come into the U.S. without fear of reprisal. "The ICE officers involved in this case are absolutely astounded at what their superiors are asking them to do: releasing people charged with rape of a child, releasing people charged with dealing drugs and resisting arrest," Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state and the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said.  "These are really serious criminals, and ICE is being ordered by the political leadership of the Biden administration to turn them loose." July 2: The Epoch Times: SCOTUS to hear religious school tuition case from Maine The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a Maine law that bans families from a student aid program if they choose to send their children to religious schools.  Parents in the Pine Tree State argue in their petition to the court that Maine’s prohibition against using taxpayer funds on sectarian schools violates the U.S. Constitution, contending that a SCOTUS decision last year held a state may not exclude families and schools from participating in a student-aid program because of a school’s religious status.  “By singling out religion—and only religion—for exclusion from its tuition assistance program, Maine violates the U.S. Constitution,” Senior Attorney Michael Bindas of the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm that is representing the parents, said.  July 1: Townhall.com: SCOTUS rules 6-3 that Arizona election integrity legislation does not violate the Voting Rights Act, Dems very disappointed The Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s voting law that cracks down on ballot harvesting and takes aim at mail-in ballot fraud, despite a challenge from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The high court ruled that the reforms in Arizona’s law do not violate the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Thomas, and Barrett sided with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, while Justices Kagan, Breyer, and Sotomayor said that the law violates Section 2 of the VRA. The Court upheld two Arizona voting provisions: a ban on so-called "ballot harvesting," and a policy that throws out an entire ballot if it was cast in the wrong precinct.  July 1: Fox News: Two final decisions by SCOTUS have reignited Dems call for packing the Supreme Court Democrats on Thursday expressed their displeasure with the Supreme Court’s final decisions of its 2020-2021 term, accusing the justices of doing "severe damage" to the political system and in some cases re-upping their calls to pack the court with liberal justices appointed by Joe Biden.  The court, in its decisions, stopped cold one of the Democrats favorite tactics of using the courts and activist judges to overcome what they have been unable to accomplish through the legislative process. One of SCOTUS' decisions was to let stand an Arizona election law, including a ban on ballot harvesting. The other was to strike down a California law that required nonprofits to disclose their largest donors to the state government for law enforcement purposes.   Democrats saw the Arizona decision as voting rights restrictions and while Republicans saw as election security measures. They struck down the California law on the grounds that it chilled free speech. July 1: One America News Network: Arizona State Senate to subpoena election routers and passwords to complete its audit Arizona election audit spokesman Randy Pullen said the state senate will subpoena the routers and passwords that are still being withheld by election officials. He announced the state’s plans to issue the subpoena while noting it has been difficult to complete the audit without information on the routers and passwords.  He said the state senators will determine the timeline for the examination of electronic equipment that was used during the 2020 elections in Arizona and confirmed the ballot count is now complete, but some electronic data is still raising questions.  Maricopa County recently announced plans to replace all of its subpoenaed election equipment while noting the county will “never use compromised equipment that could pose a risk to free and fair elections.”  Meanwhile while the Arizona Republicans believe it is a step in the right direction, the replacement of equipment is not going to undo the mistakes already made. They argue if the machines are not able to undergo a forensic audit to verify the presidential election result, then they never should have been approved to be used in an election in the first place.

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