The Virginia Star

March 28, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation He Calls ‘Largest Expansion of School Choice in History of These United States’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday in Miami that establishes an Education Savings Accounts (ESA) program under which every family in the state can receive up to $8,000 to cover education expenses outside of the public school system....

March 28, 2023

As Pentagon Struggles to Fill Military Requests, Funding Goes to Diversity, Critical Race Theory

The Pentagon is increasingly struggling to fill the weapons and equipment requests for the war in Ukraine. At the same time, taxpayer funds are going to pay for ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in the military, most recently one...

March 28, 2023

First-Citizens Bank Will Acquire Silicon Valley Bank: FDIC

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. agreed that the North Carolina-based First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. can acquire the troubled Silicon Valley Bank, and 17 branches of the California-based bank will reopen Monday as branches of First-Citizens.

March 28, 2023

TikTok Not the Only China-Controlled App Thriving in America: Report

The top four downloaded applications in the past 30 days in the U.S. Apple App Store and Google Play Store are owned by Chinese-tied companies, according to data from Apptopia analyzed by Axios. While these Chinese-tied apps are thriving in the U.S.,...

March 28, 2023

Nearly 40 Percent of Veterans Reported Concerns About Being Able to Pay Medical Bills

A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics found that nearly 40% of veterans reported concerns about being able to pay their medical bills. Overall, the report found that 12.8% of veterans aged 25-64 had problems paying medical bills,...

March 28, 2023

New Laws Mean Greater ‘Buying Power’ for People with Disabilities

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law a pair of bills Monday aimed at providing greater financial flexibility for individuals with developmental disabilities who receive waiver services – a move supporters say will translate to greater “buying power” for people...

March 28, 2023

Methodology and Motive Questions Surround Poll Showing DeSantis Ahead of Trump in Iowa

Two polls showing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “running more competitively” against former President Donald Trump in first-in-the-nation nominating states Iowa and New Hampshire are missing some key data, raising questions about the validity of the surveys.

March 28, 2023

Commentary: Congress Is Central in the Authorization to Impose a Central Bank Digital Currency

“e would not proceed with this without support from Congress, and I think that would ideally come in the form of an authorizing law, rather than us trying to interpret our law to enable this.” That was Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome...

March 28, 2023

Culture of Corruption Exposed in Trial Centering on Ex-Illinois House Speaker

by Madeleine Hubbard While the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is still a year away, the depth of his alleged scheme is already starting to be unveiled, as the Chicago Democrat remains a central figure...

March 28, 2023

Victor Davis Hanson Commentary: The Megalomaniacs Running Radical Universities Are Blind to the Generations of Taxpayers That Built Them

The most recent shout-down debacle at Stanford’s law school, one of many such recent sordid episodes, prompts the question: “Who owns our universities?” The law students who are in residence for three years apparently assume they embody the university. And...

March 28, 2023

Commentary: Why Not ‘America First?’

It’s challenging to say something original about the Ukraine war. It’s been debated now for more than a year, and it’s not over yet. But that’s bad news for those supporting the war. Most Americans’ interest in foreign policy matters...

March 28, 2023

Six Army Bases to be Renamed from Original Confederate Names

The dates have been revealed for when six United States Army bases will officially have their names changed due to a far-left campaign to rename any installations bearing Confederate names. According to Axios, the six bases in question are: Fort Hood,...

March 28, 2023

Future Meals Could Come from a 3D Printer, Researchers Say

Researchers are increasingly investigating 3D-printed food to boost global food production in a bid to combat climate-related food insecurity, Axios reported Friday. Although the technology is still new, with research necessary for the technique to be scaled up for both...

March 27, 2023

Three Children Dead after Shooting at Private Tennessee Christian School, Hospital Official Says

Three children are dead after a gunman opened fire Monday at the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson.

March 27, 2023

Biden Admin Opens Investigations into Multiple Universities for Allegedly Racist, Discriminatory Programs

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened federal investigations into four universities this week in response to complaints filed by medical watchdog Do No Harm (DNH), according to the organization. The OCR will investigate Wake Forest University...

March 27, 2023

Biden Administration Rules Out Removing the Cuban Regime from the List of ‘Sponsors of Terrorism’

The Joe Biden administration has no plans to remove the Cuban regime from the list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism," the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, said Thursday during a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee—House of Representatives (HFAC)....

March 27, 2023

Federal Regulator Acknowledges Danger to Wildlife Caused by Offshore Wind Farms

The federally-chartered regulator responsible for managing fisheries in the oceans of New England acknowledged that offshore wind farms could pose a threat to the local marine wildlife, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Thomas Nies,...

March 27, 2023

States, Counties Clash over ‘Zuckerbucks’-Like New Sources of Private Election Funding

As "Zuckerbucks" — the injection of private money into public election administration — make a comeback, states and municipalities are clashing over whether the funds should be accepted or banned. While many states and counties across the country have either...

March 27, 2023

Bills Declaring Fentanyl a Terror Weapon, Increasing Jury Duty Pay, and more Among the Hundreds Gov Youngkin Signs into Law

Facing a Monday deadline to act on bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed hundreds of bills into law this week. Lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly sent hundreds of bills to the governor’s desk during...

March 27, 2023

Commentary: The Language of Politics and the Politics of Language

On his blog A Pilgrim in Narnia, Brenton Dickieson tells us that C.S. Lewis in his Studies in Words defined “verbicide” as the “murder of words.” Dickieson adds that “Lewis has some similar concerns as George Orwell in his ‘Politics and the English...

March 27, 2023

2022 Was Bust for Many Pension Plan Investment Returns

Municipal pension plan investment returns were a "wild rollercoaster ride" in 2021 and 2022 with boom or bust results over that two-year period. Many cities reported record-setting returns in 2021 as high as 33.7% only to find negative returns in...

March 27, 2023

Commentary: The Difference Between Non-Profit and Not for Profit Companies

For Ask an Economist this week I have a question from Hal who asks, “What is the difference between a 'non-profit' and a ‘not for profit'?” In order to address this question, I think it’s important to discuss what separates...

March 27, 2023

Commentary: Informants Everywhere

After nine weeks of testimony from multiple government witnesses, including FBI agents, the Justice Department finally concluded its case-in-chief in the Proud Boys’ seditious conspiracy trial on Monday. Five Proud Boys, including the group’s leader, Enrique Tarrio, are accused of conspiring to...

March 26, 2023

Trump Decries Weaponized Probes against Political Figures: ‘Worse than Ballot Stuffing’

Former President Donald Trump is decrying the relentless investigations launched against him and his supporters, saying they are a form of political cheating worse than ballot stuffing. Trump assailed the chronic investigations he has faced for seven years during his...

March 26, 2023

REVIEW: New Book ‘Rise to Greatness’ Explores How a Kid from Queens Became One of History’s Most Influential Supreme Court Justices

Antonin Scalia was a budding textualist long before he transformed the Supreme Court, and the nation, with his unique legal approach, a new biography of his early life reveals. In the 1950s, the future Supreme Court Justice spent his mornings...

March 26, 2023

McConnell Released from Physical Therapy After Concussion, Broken Rib

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky left an inpatient rehab facility Saturday following physical therapy, CNN reported. McConnell, the senate minority leader, was hospitalized Mar. 9 after he tripped and fell during an event at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., suffering...

March 26, 2023

Trump Has Double DeSantis’ Support: Poll

Former President Donald Trump leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP primary by a massive two-digit margin, doubling the support of DeSantis’ share, according to a poll released Friday. Trump tops a crowded field of Republican presidential contenders...

March 26, 2023

Hawaii Governor Signs Bills Blocking Penalties for Abortion

Hawaii will not cooperate with other states' civil or criminal investigations related to abortion under a new law signed by Gov. Josh Green. Senate Bill 1, also known as Act 2, prohibits the issuance of a subpoena in connection with...

March 26, 2023

New U.S. Border Data: 284 Suspected Terrorists Apprehended So Far in Fiscal 2023

Nearly 300 suspected terrorists have been apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. in the first few months of fiscal 2023 as 28 members of Congress formed a new caucus to address the crisis at the northern border, where record numbers...

March 26, 2023

Virginia to Offer Firearm Safety Device Tax Credit Under New Law

Virginia will offer a tax credit for the purchase of a firearm safety device, including gun safes and lock boxes, under a bill signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week. Under the tax credit, which takes effect in July and...

March 26, 2023

Commentary: The ATF Expansion of the Gun Registry Turns Law-Abiding Gun Owners into Felons

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has followed through on their plan to turn millions of lawful gun owners into felons in the name of "public safety" by reclassifying pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, effectively expanding the...

March 26, 2023

North Dakota Legislature Passes Bill That Makes Teachers Use Students’ Biological Pronouns

The North Dakota House approved a bill on Wednesday that would require teachers to refer to students using pronouns that correspond with their biological sex. In a 60-32 vote, the state house passed Senate Bill 2231, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Larry...

March 26, 2023

Poll: 73 Percent of Taxpayers Say Government Doesn’t Use Their Taxes Wisely

Ahead of Tax Day on April 18, 73% of taxpayers said the government doesn’t use their taxes wisely, a new survey found. A separate report found that red states have the better taxpayer return on investment. Wallethub's "Taxpayer Survey" found...

March 26, 2023

Commentary: More Work to be Done on Emergency Powers as Pandemic Wanes

Most Americans are likely pleased that when they turn on their television, no longer are there talking heads and public health figures breathlessly discussing COVID-19 case counts and deaths. Broadly, the media as a whole is no longer incessantly reporting...

March 25, 2023

‘Race to the Bottom’: Legal Experts Fear Escalation Spiral Ahead of Possible Trump Indictment

Ahead of a prospective indictment of former President Donald Trump, legal experts and elected officeholders are warning that such an unprecedented move may spur a dangerous escalation spiral of retributive political prosecutions that undermine the nation's justice system. Trump announced...

March 25, 2023

Effort to Squash Biden Family Stories Long Predated Hunter Laptop, Newly Released Emails Reveal

Records newly released by the National Archives show efforts to suppress negative stories about the Biden family's business deals long predate the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, dating back to 2015 when an aide to then-Vice President Joe Biden boasted she got...

March 25, 2023

Utah Becomes First to Limit Teens’ Social Media Use with New Law

Utah passed legislation Thursday to require parental consent for children to use certain social media apps, becoming the first state in the country to limit teenagers’ social media usage. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills into law that limits minors from...

March 25, 2023

Republicans Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, and Matt Gaetz Explain Why They Voted Against Parents Bill of Rights Act: ‘The Federal Government Should Not Be Involved in Education’

The U.S. House passed the Parents Bill of Rights Act Friday, with most House Republicans voting in favor of the bill that would require school districts to give parents access to their children’s curricula and reading lists, to inform parents...

March 25, 2023

Virginia County Board Members Give Themselves Massive Raise amid Inflation, Tax Hikes, Cop Shortage

The majority of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally voted to give members of the board salary increases of up to 38%, while residents of the county, located just outside of Washington, D.C., grapple with rising real estate and...

March 25, 2023

Commentary: Parents’ Bill of Rights Is How Congress Can Help State School Reformers

The stunning success of conservative education reform across the country in the past few years is the result a moral fact: Parents are children’s primary educators. Until very recently, this was not disputed, let alone controversial. But lately, it has...

March 25, 2023

Huge Proportion of ‘Trans’ Adults Haven’t Medically Transitioned, Survey Finds

A recent Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey purporting to find that transitioning made life more satisfying for transgender adults additionally found that a huge proportion of sampled transgender people had not undergone any form of medical transition. Most — not...

March 25, 2023

Border Patrol Busts Stash House Full of Illegal Migrants in Northern Border State

Border Patrol agents in Maine busted a stash house full of illegal migrants Tuesday, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statement. Authorities found 17 illegal migrants from Nicaragua and Guatemala in a house located in Lisbon, Maine, according to...

March 25, 2023

Commentary: DeSantis Staff Need Not Apply for the Trump Campaign

As Ron DeSantis emerges as a prospective rival for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump's campaign has put word out that anyone who works for the Florida governor will be blackballed. According to sources with direct knowledge of the edict, Justin...

March 25, 2023

House Passes Legislation to Give Parents More Say in Their Kids’ Education

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation on Friday aimed at giving parents more of a say in school curriculum and more control in their children’s education. In a 213 – 208 vote, the House approved the Parents Bill of...

March 24, 2023

Sen. Rand Paul on Child COVID Vaccines: ‘Risks of the Vaccine Are Greater than Risks of the Disease’

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Thursday he would not have his own children receive the COVID vaccines because of the risk of heart inflammation associated with them. “I, frankly, wouldn’t vaccinate my children for COVID,” Paul, an ophthalmologist, told The...