Month: March 2023

March 14, 2023March 13, 2023 The Center Square

You’re forgiven if you didn’t hear the news – or didn’t pay attention to it – but former Maryland governor Larry Hogan announced last week that he won’t run against Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

This didn’t mean Hogan accepted the inevitable and intends to throw-in with the wisdom of his party’s voters and simply do what most loyal politicians do when the grassroots selects in a primary someone he or she doesn’t necessarily agree with. No, Hogan said he hopes like heck that someone other than Trump or DeSantis will earn the GOP nod – and henceforth release him from taking drastic measures. But should Republican primary participants opt for a Trump or DeSantis candidacy… Larry may run instead on a third-party ticket.

Connecticut Sues Rest Stop Owner over Worker Wages

Connecticut’s top law enforcement officer is taking aim at a rest stop operator with a legal challenge alleging it cheated food service workers out of wages they were owed.

The lawsuit, filed by Attorney General William Tong, claims plaza operator Food Project LLC owes workers at Dunkin Donuts, Subway and other rest stop businesses collectively more than $2.7 in lost wages for underpaying them under state labor laws.

Commentary: Despite ‘Strong’ Rhetoric, Biden Administration Signals Gloomy Economic Outlook

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the now-released President’s Budget is projecting just 0.6 percent in inflation-adjusted real growth of the U.S. economy in 2023 as the unemployment rate is expected to rise to 4.3 percent in 2023 and peak at 4.6 percent in 2024 after the economy is finished overheating from the continued, elevated inflation, consumers max out on credit and spending falls off a cliff.

Teachers, Activists Push School Districts to Drop Calculus in the Name of Equity

Teachers and activists are pushing for high schools to drop their calculus courses to increase equity as many minority and low-income students don’t have access to the class, according to The 74, a nonprofit news organization covering education.

In the 2017-2018 school year, 76% of schools with “low student of color enrollment” offered calculus while 52% of schools with a high proportion of students of color offered the advanced math course, according to a Learning Policy Institute report. The course, teachers and activists argued, is disproportionately offered to students not of an underrepresented group, giving other students an advantage in the college admissions process, according to The 74.

Nonbinary Pronouns Nonhelpful on Job Resumes: Study

The number of U.S. adults who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and non-binary (LGBTQ+) continues to increase. According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans identifying as something other than heterosexual has more than doubled in the space of a decade.

As the number of people identifying as non-heterosexual continues to increase, so too does the number of those using gender-neutral pronouns. Personal gender pronouns (PGPs), a rather recent phenomenon, are part of someone’s gender expression. They are commonly used by queer, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and transgender individuals, although an increasing number of straight Americans are also using them.

Oil CEOs See Massive Bonuses amid Record Profits

The pay packages for the chief executives of British oil giants BP and Shell skyrocketed in 2022 after the oil titans posted record profits off the back of high gas prices last year, Reuters reported Friday.

The salary of BP CEO Bernard Looney climbed to roughly £1.3 million, while performance-related bonuses and stock awards climbed to £10.03 million, to a total of £11.33 million in compensation, more than two and a half times the £4.46 million he earned in 2021, the company announced Friday. BP —which lagged behind its American competitors in 2022 despite a record profit of roughly $28 billion — has drawn criticism from activists for cutting its green investments and reinvesting in gas and oil, Reuters reported.

Biden Approves ConocoPhillips Oil Project Over Green Group Objections

The Biden administration formally approved Willow, an $8 billion oil drilling project located in Alaska, Monday morning over the objection of climate activists who lobbied heavily against it.

The massive project, operated by American energy firm ConocoPhillips, is projected to produce roughly 600 million barrels of oil over a 30-year lifespan, The New York Times reported. In a bid to placate environmentalists, the administration had considered limiting the project to just two drill sites, down from the five that ConocoPhillips initially proposed, but the company and Alaskan lawmakers warned that the project would need at least three to be economically viable, according to CNN.

Commentary: Donald Trump Reemerges as the Republican Alpha at CPAC

March 13, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

At the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Donald Trump demonstrated, once again, why he remains leader of the Republican Party. He made it clear that he should not be displaced until long after his 2024 presidential primary victory.

Trump showed the rhetorical brilliance that vaulted him from political outsider to the heir to Ronald Reagan in an instant. At a time when too many Republican politicians stumble over each other for positions just to lurch back toward the middle and lose their mettle, Trump gave the base the red meat they needed to hear.

Catholic Civil Rights Group Condemns State Legislation to Force Priests to Break Seal of Confession

Bills in the states of Vermont, Delaware, and Washington would include in mandatory reporting laws information about child sexual abuse a priest learns during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a move the Catholic League states lacks sound reasoning.

Last week Catholic League President Bill Donohue warned the “seal of confession” is “under fire” in Vermont, noting the Catholic civil rights organization is once again “doing battle with lawmakers who want to violate” the priest-penitent privilege, mostly in legislation concerning the sexual abuse of minors.

‘Corporate Bailouts Must End’: 2024 GOP Candidates Weigh In On Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 Admin

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has sparked comments from 2024 GOP candidates and hopefuls about why the bank failed and what the government should do in its wake.

Declared candidates, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump, as well as contender Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have spoken out about what might have led to SVB’s collapse and against government bailouts. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) took control of SVB after its Friday shut down when their stock plummeted following mass withdrawals.

Experts: A Large Proportion of Children Pursuing Gender Transitions Are Actually Autistic

March 13, 2023March 12, 2023 Admin

Children with autism make up an outsized proportion of the transgender-identified population, and autism spectrum traits make them particularly vulnerable to thought patterns that can lead youth to pursue gender transitions, according to research and medical professionals.

Transgender individuals are about three to six times more likely to be autistic than non-transgender people, research shows; the connection between transgenderism and autism has been a subject of interest for researchers since at least 2010, and the Gender Development Identity Service at Tavistock, the world’s largest pediatric gender clinic, came under fire in recent years over allegations that as many as 97.5% of its gender patients had autism. Dr. Susan Bradley, a Canadian psychiatrist and pioneer in treating gender dysphoria, told the DCNF that she now believes most pediatric gender patients are actually on the autism spectrum and are being exploited by medical professionals.

Professor Argues Cancer Research Needs More ‘Antiracism’

Christabel Cheung, a professor at the University of Maryland, recently gave a presentation arguing that principles of “antiracism” must be incorporated into cancer research.

The presentation came as part of a symposium hosted by the University of Michigan School of Social Work on “Achieving Health Equity in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Psycho-Oncology Care.”

African White House Reporter Says He’s Being ‘Censored and Punished’ For Asking ‘Incompetent’ Karine Jean-Pierre Tough Questions

The top White House reporter from Africa said Thursday that he is “censored and punished” by the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) for asking “totally incompetent” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre too many tough questions.

Simon Ateba, the Chief White House correspondent for Today News Africa, is reportedly being kicked out of the WHCA, which controls the White House briefings. The Cameroonian journalist was one of several members of the press barred from attending Joe Biden’s media briefing last month addressing the spate of unidentified aerial objects seen in United States airspace.

Massive Skilled Labor Shortage Sparks Nationwide Refocus on Technical Education

Awareness of the nation’s massive labor shortage problem is increasing.

The problem is encapsulated by the latest news out of Kentucky, where one carpenter’s skills are in high demand.

Smugglers Are Using Drones to Spy on Agents, Border Patrol Says

March 13, 2023 ADN America

The U.S. Border Patrol said that smugglers are using drones to spy on its agents along the U.S.-Mexico Border between San Diego and Tijuana.

“They’re gathering intelligence, they’re doing counter-surveillance on our agents, they’re trying to see our work patterns, how many agents and what they’re doing,” said Border Patrol Agent Diana Ibarra in a recent bulletin published by the federal agency. “They’re working to try and find any possible vulnerability and exploit those.”

Commentary: Please, No More America-Hating Diplomats

March 13, 2023 Just the News

It would be illogical to put a Quaker, whose religion forbids violence, in charge of recruitment for the Marines. So why would we ask someone who despises the U.S. economic system in charge of recruiting American diplomats?

Yet, recently, at an Atlantic Council seminar, the deputy director of the Rangel International Affairs Fellowship called capitalism “a common enemy.”

Three More States Dropping Voter Data-Sharing Collective as Trump Rips ‘Fools Game for Republicans’

Three more red states — Florida, Missouri, and West Virginia — this week followed Louisiana and Alabama in withdrawing from a multistate data-sharing partnership that facilitates voter registration and maintenance of voter rolls, citing unmet concerns over protecting voter information and partisan influence at the nonprofit.

The latest withdrawals from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) came after the nonprofit’s board of directors rejected changes proposed by a bipartisan working group of several member states.

Commentary: Student Debt Forgiveness Won’t Cure Higher Education’s Ills

March 13, 2023 RealClearWire

On February 28th, the Supreme Court heard arguments on President Biden’s plan to extinguish an estimated $400 billion in student debt. Biden deserves credit for highlighting a debilitating federal program in desperate need of reform. His proposal, however, would make the problem far worse, not better. Any serious reform would force academic institutions to take some responsibility for the education they provide—and to show some responsibility to the many young Americans they induce to go deeply into debt.

Commentary: Medicaid Expansion Fails to Deliver on Promises

March 13, 2023 RealClearWire

Medicaid expansion is failing states across the nation according to a recent Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) report. The report found states that have expanded Medicaid have faced more hospital closures than states that haven’t expanded the program. Of course, for years, advocates have claimed that expansion would be a necessary provision for financial health and job security for hospitals. Though, as suspected, data reveals the opposite. More accurately, non-expansion states have seen improved profitability, a larger bed capacity, and increased job growth.

Treasury Inspector General Audit: 42,000 Federal Employees ‘Repeatedly’ Don’t File Federal Returns

March 13, 2023 Just the News

Tens of thousands of federal employees have “repeatedly” failed to file their federal tax returns, according to a new federal watchdog report.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration flags 42,000 so-called “federal employee non-filers” and states the government is limited in its authority to punish them, according to the Washington Times.

Study: Average American IQ Is Declining for the First Time in a Century

March 12, 2023March 11, 2023 Just the News

A new study asserts that the intelligence quotient (IQ) of the average American citizen is now on the decline for the first time in nearly 100 years.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the study was published in the psychology journal Intelligence. Analyzing the time period between 2006 and 2018, the study’s authors note that the biggest decline in IQ occurred among Americans between the ages of 18 and 22.

House Freedom Caucus Names Its Price for a Debt Limit Increase

The House Freedom Caucus on Friday outlined the terms by which it might agree to vote for an increase to the debt limit amid a budgetary standoff between House Republicans and President Joe Biden with a looming deadline to avert an unprecedented default.

Announcing their plans in a press conference, the conservative bloc indicated they would support an increase in the debt limit after Congress enacted legislation both to cut current spending and cap future expenditures.

Catholic Nonprofit Spends $4 Million to Root Out Priests Using Hookup Apps

A Catholic nonprofit paid $4 million to collect dating app data in an effort to determine if priests are adhering to their commitment to celibacy, according to a report from the Washington Post.

Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal (CLCR) is a Colorado nonprofit that seeks to help the clergy by providing “evidence-based resources,” “support quality formation practices” and “identify weaknesses,” according to the organization’s website. CLCR reportedly spent $4 million to gain access to data from multiple dating apps, including Grindr, Scruff and OKCupid, and determine whether members of the Catholic priesthood were using the apps, according to the Post.

U.S. Congress Asks Biden to Declassify Reports on COVID-19’s Orgin

March 12, 2023 ADN America

by John Palomino The United States Congress approved this Friday a bill that calls for the declassification of information from the country’s intelligence services on the origins of Covid-19. The bipartisan initiative goes to the table of President Joe Biden. After its authorization in the Senate on March 1, the House of…

Commentary: Climate Policies Will Shut Down Farmers

March 12, 2023 Bethany Bowman

Belgian and Dutch farmers are protesting because they are losing their livelihoods in the name of fighting so-called climate change as European governments seek to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia, necessary inputs of modern agriculture. Will American farmers and consumers soon face the same fate?

European farmers are being told that because of the aim for “net-zero emissions” of greenhouse gases and other so-called pollutants in 2050, their industry is being phased out if they can’t adapt.

Music Spotlight: Aliyah Good

I remember Jamie O’Neal telling me that her 17-year-old daughter accompanied her when she re-released her mega-hit “Somebody’s Hero.”

Now, O’Neal’s daughter, Aliyah Good is 19 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Professional Studies at the Frost School of Music in Miami. And while she is first to admit that going to school while pursuing an artist’s career is quite the juggle, she is fortunate enough to attend a university that understands what she is doing. Frost School has programs for people like Good who are college students who want to get an education but also want to pursue their careers.

House Votes to Overturn ‘Overreaching’ Biden Water Rule

The House of Representatives voted 227-198 Thursday to overturn the Biden administration’s “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule, which has been heavily criticized for broadening the definition of what are considered “navigable waters” subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act.

Republicans say the rule places a costly burden on landowners, ranchers, and farmers by claiming regulatory control over lands containing small streams and wetlands. All but one Republican, Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, voted to overturn the rule, with nine Democrats joining.

Biden Administration Requires Diversity Pledge from Companies Seeking Decarbonization Funds

March 11, 2023March 10, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

On Wednesday, the Biden Administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new plan for a $6.3 billion decarbonization fund that will only be available to companies that first submit a pledge to “diversity.”

According to the Daily Caller, companies can only apply for funding from the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP) after they submit a “Community Benefits Plan.” The plan must outline each individual company’s dedication to four policy goals of the administration: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); investment in America’s workforce; engaging communities and labor; and implementing aspects of a plan called “Justice 40,” which pledges to spend at least 40 percent of federal spending projects focusing on minority communities that are allegedly disproportionately impacted by “pollution.”

Latest ‘Rhetorical Game’ of Anti-Life Abortion Lobby: Sue Pro-Life States with Claim Women’s Lives Are at Risk Without Abortion

The latest scheme of the anti-life abortion industry is to encourage lawsuits against states that have largely banned the procedure with the apparent claim seriously at-risk women who reside in those states are being denied allowable emergency medical care because providers are afraid of professional and criminal consequences.

As The New York Times reported Monday, five women are suing the state of Texas with the claim they were denied emergency medical care, despite life-threatening risks to themselves and their unborn babies, because their medical providers refused to give the care necessary for their dire situations due to possible punitive consequences resulting from the state’s abortion ban.

Biden Budget to Fund ‘Transgender’ Treatments for Veterans

The Biden Administration’s proposed budget for 2024 includes funding for genital mutilation surgeries and hormone treatments for veterans who think they are “transgender.”

As the Daily Caller reports, the budget proposal comes after the Department of Veterans Affairs was ordered to lift a 20-year ban on such transgender procedures in June of 2021, thus allowing such treatments to be covered by Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.

Ron DeSantis Suggests Privately He’s Decided to Run for President: Report

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has privately disclosed his intentions to run for president in 2024, two sources close to the governor told The Washington Post.

DeSantis’ private comments suggest that he is no longer in the deciding phase, and is likely to make an announcement once Florida’s legislative session concludes in May, according to The Post. The Thursday launch of Never Back Down, a political action committee designed to boost DeSantis as the GOP nominee, serves as another indicator of a possible campaign, as it intends to “carry him to the White House.”

Commentary: The Left Is Downplaying Reality of Fentanyl Crisis

The Left refuses to connect the dots between the fentanyl and border crises because it would require acknowledging that we have an open border.

The truth of the matter is that the border crisis and fentanyl problem in America are directly related.

Commentary: Seperating Fact from Fiction

The State of New Jersey recently enacted a law that requires K–12 students to learn “information literacy.” Stated plainly, this is the skills to determine what’s true and what’s not. The law is allegedly the first of its kind in the nation.

The sentiment behind the legislation is admirable, but the law itself is vague and gives the NJ Department of Education broad authority to create these standards. Given the track record of the U.S. education establishment, this could be an epic mistake.

Commentary: The Importance of Philosophical Fiction

March 11, 2023March 10, 2023 Admin

I must admit that I have not always been a serious reader. Like the vast majority of consumers of art, I was more interested in the escapist element of fiction and cinema. I would read a book or watch a film as a way to escape into another world for a couple hours. I was enthralled by the likes of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Stephen King’s The Shining.

Commentary: Daylight Saving Time’s Mixed Results

This weekend, public service announcements will remind us daylight saving time is over. This means you have to set your clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. on March 12.

This semiannual ritual shifts our rhythms and temporarily makes us groggy at times when we normally feel alert. Moreover, many Americans are confused about why we spring forward in March and fall back in November, and whether it is worth the trouble.

Colin Kaepernick Accuses His Own White Adoptive Parents of ‘Perpetuating Racism’

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 Just the News

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick has released a new memoir, in which he insults the White couple that adopted him and raised him, accusing them of “problematic” behavior and “perpetuating racism.”

As reported by the Daily Caller, Kaepernick’s memoir, “Change the Game,” is written as a graphic novel. He further expanded upon what he said in the book in an interview with CBS News on Thursday.

Biden Proposes $6.8 Trillion Budget for FY 2024, Trillion More than Last Year

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a $6.8 trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which is $1 trillion more than his budget proposal last year.

Biden proposed increasing taxes in order to fund the budget.

Slave Labor Clouded Plunging U.S. Solar Market in 2022

U.S. solar panel installations plummeted in 2022 as lingering supply chain issues hindered the industry, although forecasters anticipate a bounceback and significant growth over the next decade, according to a joint report from the industry trade group Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and research analytics firm Woods Mackenzie released Thursday.

The primary cause of the decline was a significant disruption in the solar panel supply chain caused by detentions of Chinese solar panel materials by U.S. Customs and Border Protection over concerns that the products were developed by the forced labor of Uighur muslims, according to the report. While 2022 was a “tough year” for solar, supply chain issues are expected to be resolved in 2023, leading to a 41% surge in installations, Michelle Davis, principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report, said in a press release Thursday.

Florida Judge Strikes Down Biden Administration ‘Catch and Release’ Border Policy

A federal judge in Florida ruled Wednesday that the Biden Administration’s “catch and release” border policy is illegal.

Federal Judge T. Kent Wetherell, of the Pensacola Division of the Northern District of Florida, entered a 109-page ruling ruling that the policy that allows Border Patrol agents to release undocumented immigrants who cross the border to the United States instead of deporting them is illegal and “should be struck down.”

Commentary: The Price of Eliminating Consequences

Recently there were some remarkable online videos of a Portland, Oregon good Samaritan confronting shoplifters and forcing them to dump loads of their pilfered goods.

More stunning, however, was the sheer outrage—of the thieves!

Red Cross Packets Show Migrants Where to Cross the U.S. Border