Day: February 7, 2021

Virginia House Passes Repeal of Adoption Conscience Clause

Eric Burk

The House of Delegates approved Delegate Mark Levine’s (D-Arlington) HB 1932 on Wednesday in a 53 to 43 vote. The bill would remove the child-placement conscience clause which protects child-placement agencies from being forced to place children where it would violate the agency’s moral or religious convictions. Supporters of the bill say it ends discrimination currently protected by the Commonwealth, but Catholic adoption agencies and Republican legislators warn that removing the protection could effectively eliminate thousands of potential homes for children in foster care and adoption programs. The bill is now in committee in the Senate.

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Commentary: How ‘Flatten the Curve’ Became Flatten America

Virginia Star Staff

Joe Biden’s prediction of a dark winter is upon us as many Americans struggle under oppressive Covid lockdowns with no end in sight. How did we go from a common-sense plan to “flatten the curve” to the White House calling for continued restrictions even after Americans are vaccinated? In a word: politics. From the moment the virus arrived on our shores, Democrats used it to their political advantage. They have shown by word and deed that they care less about public safety, and more about control.

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White House Confirms That Hunter Biden Will Divest from Chinese Private Equity Firm

Virginia Star Staff

Hunter Biden is in the process of divesting his ownership stake in the Chinese private equity firm BHR Partners, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Friday.

The confirmation follows a report from the Daily Caller News Foundation in January that Hunter Biden continues to hold a 10% stake in the firm despite multiple promises from President Joe Biden during his campaign that no one in his family would engage in foreign business if he won the election.

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Democrat-Sponsored PRO Act Would Invalidate Right-to-Work Laws in 27 States

The Center Square

U.S. House and Senate Democrats have reintroduced the PRO ACT, a sweeping pro-union bill that would wipe out right-to-work labor laws in 27 states.

Democrats argue the PRO Act will create safer workplaces and increase employee benefits by expanding union organizing. Those opposed to it argue it will force small businesses to close, cost an untold number of jobs and worsen the economy, and “impose a laundry list of other union boss power grabs.”

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MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace Paints Trump Supporters as Domestic Terrorists; Points Out That Americans Were Droned During GWOT

Virginia Star Staff

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace on Friday likened President Trump and millions of his supporters to domestic terrorists while fondly reminiscing about the days when American citizens overseas were killed by drone strikes during the global war on terror.

Wallace, who served the Bush White House as Communications Director in 2005 and 2006, made the comments during an MSNBC panel discussion about the impeachment trial of former President Trump.

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Commentary: Polling and the Truth

Virginia Star Staff

The Berlin Tagesspiegel recently went after a young Protestant theologian whom naïve readers might have mistaken for a polite, unassuming scholar. This figure was outed by an academic colleague who discovered that he wrote for “new Right” publications, a term that in the German context should be understood quite broadly.

One of the venues of this putative extremist is Cato, which is a classical liberal magazine known for making fun of political correctness; his other preferred site is Blaue Narzisse, an educational website on which I, too, have discoursed on literary and philosophical topics. One would have to hang out for several years with the squad in order to be inclined to locate either of these literate publications somewhere on the far-Right. But then the German government and German media apply an expansive definition of the enemy—namely anyone not in line with Islamic, feminist, and LGBT activists or who fails to hate the German language and Western culture sufficiently.

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Music Spotlight: Becca Bowen

Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Becca Bowen is an up-and-coming country artist whose Southern Belle exterior and tomboy personality have earned her the nickname “Country Barbie.” This personal fitness instructor is the single mother of two teenage girls.

Raised in South Carolina, as a child, she participated in pageants and talent shows – but her weekends were spent fishing and enjoying the outdoors with her grandfather. She is a true tomboy with a tiara.

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Amazon Loses Bid to Delay Unionization Vote at Its Alabama Warehouse

Virginia Star Staff

The National Labor Relations Board denied Amazon’s request to delay a unionization vote in its Bessemer, Alabama warehouse and ensure it’s conducted in-person.

In January, Amazon requested that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) delay the unionization election, arguing that the proposed mail-in ballot election would disenfranchise up to 1,700 workers. The Bessemer, Alabama warehouse’s nearly 5,800 total workers will begin voting in favor or against unionization on Monday.

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Hawley Amendment Suggests Giving Planned Parenthood’s Federal Funds to Adoption

Virginia Star Staff

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced an amendment Thursday that would transfer federal funds given to Planned Parenthood to federal adoption and maternal health programs instead.

“Instead of abusing obscure Senate rules and procedures to give handouts to their favored constituents, why don’t Democrats work across the aisle to help mothers and children in need,” Hawley asked. “If Democrats are serious about unifying the country, then now is the time to drop divisive, partisan agendas and come together on an issue that all Americans can agree with.”

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Democrats Unveil Bill That Would Limit Section 230 Protections

Virginia Star Staff

Democrats have unveiled a bill that would limit Section 230 liability shields for social media companies, Reuters reported.

The SAFE Tech Act, proposed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Mazie Hirono and Mark Warner, aims to hold social media companies accountable such as Alphabet Inc’s Google, Twitter and Facebook for “enabling cyber-stalking, targeted harassment, and discrimination on their platforms,” according to a statement, Reuters reported.

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Virginia GOP Candidates Start to Collect Endorsements

Eric Burk

As the 2021 campaigns accelerate, Virginia’s GOP gubernatorial candidates have started to pick up some big name endorsements, including from two former governors for Delegate Kirk Cox and from influential grassroots organizer Martha Boneta for Pete Snyder.

“Pete is the trusted, proven conservative that we need to battle career politicians in Richmond that failed us when we needed them most. I want all Republicans to support Pete for governor,” Boneta said in her endorsement Thursday.

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