March 23, 2021 - The Virginia Star

Northam Signs Bill to Remove Statue of Democratic Governor Harry Byrd, Sr.

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Eric Burk

Former Democratic Governor and U.S. Senator Harry Byrd, Sr., is finally leaving Virginia’s Capitol Square. On Friday, Governor Ralph Northam signed Delegate Jay Jones’ (D-Norfolk) HB 2208, which directs the Department of General Services to place the statue in storage until the General Assembly decides what to do with it. Byrd is known for his decades of political power, which he used to boost Virginia economically, build roads, and fight desegregating schools.

Left Wing Blog Drops ‘Believe All Women’, Says Cuomo Shouldn’t Resign

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

A fascinating article in the far-left blog Virginia Mercury says that New York’s Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo should not resign amid mounting sexual harassment claims from scores of women, because Virginia’s Democrat Governor Ralph Northam survived his own racism scandal.

According to the blog, persuing and implementing the left-wing agenda is more important than Democrat politicians continuing their charade of signalling virtue on issues like women’s rights and anti-racism.

Commentary: If The GOP Wants To Put America First, It Should Put The Chamber of Commerce in Its Place

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Georgia Republicans want to make their elections work better after the 2020 disaster. They’ve proposed sensible measures to eliminate no-excuse absentee ballots, remove dubious ballot drop-off boxes, and reform early voting times. This effort would restore trust in the election process and ensure every ballot is legitimate. But, for some strange reason, this legislation has drawn the ire of the state’s business community.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce last week expressed its “concern and opposition” to these measures in an official statement endorsed by Home Depot and Coca-Cola, two major corporations based in the Peach State. Black Lives Matter, Stacey Abrams, and other left-wing activists are pressuring these corporations and others to do more to oppose these election reform laws. They’re running TV and newspaper ads to strongarm companies into doing their bidding, and there’s a good chance the corporations eventually will bend the knee. Few corporations nowadays can resist the woke mobs.

Judge Rules Gourmeltz Can Stay Open While Case Proceeds

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Eric Burk

Gourmeltz 90’s Music Bar & Drafthouse will stay open for now, after a judge denied a request for an emergency injunction to force the restaurant to close.

Even after being contacted by the health department officials, Gourmeltz owner Matt Strickland has refused to comply with some provisions of Governor Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 Executive Orders.As a result, Strickland’s health certification allowing him to operate legally was rescinded, but Gourmeltz remained open. The Attorney General’s office is now bringing a case against Strickland, but they asked the court for an emergency injunction to close the restaurant while the case proceeds.

Poll: By Sizable Margin, Voters Blame Biden not Trump for Border Crisis

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

By a decisive margin, voters blame Joe Biden instead of Donald Trump for the current crisis at the southern border, according to a new Just The News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

Forty percent of respondents pointed to Biden when asked: “Which of the following do you believe is the most responsible for the current migration crisis at the southern border?”

Cofounder of Global Fraud Organization Responsible for Stealing More Than $500 Million Sentenced to Ten Years in Jail

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

A Russian national, who co-founded a global fraud operation that’s responsible for stealing more than $560 million from millions of victims was sentenced to a decade in jail on Friday, the Department of Justice announced.

Russian citizen Sergey Medvedev, 33, and Syvatoslav Bondarenko, who is from Ukraine, co-founded Infraud, court documents said, according to a Justice Department press release. Infraud, a worldwide criminal organization that engaged in financial fraud and stole identities, bragged about having more than 10,000 participants at its height, according to the press release.

Medvedev, the Russian national, conducted an “escrow” service for illegal transactions in the Infraud network starting in November 2010 until law enforcement shut down the organization in February 2018, court documents said, according to the press release.

Music Spotlight: Sam Hatmaker

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Bethany Bowman

The first time I saw Sam Hatmaker was with the Song Suffragettes before COVID. Every songwriter who is part of the Song Suffragettes collective is amazing, but Hatmaker was unique and different. I knew even back then, I wanted to interview her.

It turns out that Hatmaker is from Knoxville, Tennessee. Her mom did theater and her dad was a performer too. It was natural for her to want to be on stage. When she was ten-years-old, she auditioned and was cast in a Christmas show at Dollywood. That ended up with her working at Dollywood for three years.

Border Patrol Holding Thousands of Migrant Children Past The Legal Limit, Some Detained Longer Than 10 Days

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Customs and Border Protection has held at least 800 unaccompanied migrant minors in custody for over 10 days, Axios reported

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can legally hold unaccompanied minors for 72 hours, though over 3,300 were in custody over the limit as of Saturday, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by Axios. Over 2,200 unaccompanied minors were held for more than five days and around 820 were in custody for over 10 days.

The number of unaccompanied minors in CBP custody for over 10 days has quadrupled in the last week, Axios reported. Only around 180 unaccompanied minors were in CBP custody for over 10 days as of last Monday.

Biden Administration Facing Media Scrutiny for Not Allowing Press Access to Child Migrant Detention Facilities

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Reporters in the White House Press Briefing Room expressed frustration on Wednesday with the Biden Administration for failing to provide proper information or press access regarding the increasingly overflowing migrant detention facilities on the southern border, as reported by Breitbart.

One reporter grilled White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on this issue, asking “It’s now been three weeks since….you were first asked about getting us some press access” to these facilities, which have been filling up with child migrants in particular. “Why have we still not seen any images inside these facilities?”

Psaki dodged the question, and instead tried to claim that Biden himself is receiving such information in briefings, saying that “he talks to plenty of officials.” Psaki also continued blaming other factors for the lack of information, including various restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the privacy of children who occupy these facilities.

Elizabeth Warren Calls Filibuster Racist Months After Filibustering Tim Scott Police Reform Bill

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the filibuster racist Thursday, months after she filibustered Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s police reform legislation.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the filibuster is both racist and shouldn’t be permitted in the Senate since it gives the minority veto power, according to Axios. The legislative filibuster, which dates back to the 1800s, is a rule that requires 60 votes for most legislation to pass in the Senate.

“The filibuster has deep roots in racism, and it should not be permitted to serve that function, or to create a veto for the minority,” Warren told Axios on Thursday. “In a democracy, it’s majority rules.”

Commentary: Biden Will Prove Reagan Right About Big-Government Incompetence

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Respected Washington Post journalist and CNN host Fareed Zakaria has thrown down the gauntlet by betting that President Joe Biden “can show us that Reagan was wrong” when the Gipper said that “government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem.”

The headline in the Washington Post was “Biden is showing government can work,” and this assertion was supported by a commitment from a Biden White House official that “For people like us who believe in government, task number one is to make government work.”

Lawyer Linked to Steele Dossier is Working for House Dems to Overturn Results of Iowa Election

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

House Democrats have hired Marc Elias, the elections lawyer linked to the infamous Steele dossier, to help in their bid to overturn the results of an Iowa House race won by a Republican incumbent.

According to Politico, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is paying Elias to represent the campaign of Rita Hart, a Democrat who lost by six votes to Rep. Mariannette Miller-Marks.

Hart has appealed to Congress to adjudicate the outcome of the election after state officials declared Miller-Marks the winner. Hart claims that Iowa officials failed to count 22 ballots that would have swayed the election in her favor.

Far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center Holds over $160 Million in Offshore Bank Accounts

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a far-left hate group that specializes in smearing right-wing groups and individuals, is currently holding over $160 million of its assets in offshore bank accounts, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

The revelation comes from the most recent financially-audited statements, which show about $162 million in such foreign accounts as of October 21st of last year. The group raised about $108 million over the course of a year between November 2019 and October 2020, which was up $11 million from their previous year’s total.

CNN Losing Viewers Following Trump Exit

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

CNN has been losing viewers at a record rate since former President Trump left office, dropping nearly 50% its audience in key metrics since January, Fox News reported.

The cable news channel had averaged 2.5 million primetime viewers from November 4 through Inauguration Day on January 20, according to a Fox News analysis of Nielsen data.

However, data shows once President Joe Biden took office the network averaged only 1.6 million total primetime viewers from January 21, through March 15, according to the report.

Trump Reveals What He Wrote to Biden in Oval Office Note

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Former President Trump for the first time discussed the lengthy letter he wrote “from the heart” to President Biden and left in the Oval Office on Jan. 20.

“Basically I wish him luck and, you know, it was a couple of pages long and it was from the heart because I want to see him do well,” Trump said during a recent interview on the podcast “The Truth with Lisa Boothe.”

Crime Syndicate Targeting Hispanics Busted in Nashville

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted six suspects linked to violent robberies over a period of years that specifically targeted Nashville’s Hispanic community.

“According to police, the six suspects were linked to 150 holdups that primarily targeted Latino families. It is estimated that the group robbed more than $150,000 in cash and belongings from victims and committed 29 violent robberies,” WKRN reported. “Police said the robberies occurred in parking lots at first and evolved into victims’ homes. Armed suspects would often make their entry through unlocked sliding glass doors.”

West Chester University Implements Mandatory Diversity Training for All Employees

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

West Chester University in Pennsylvania has recently instituted mandatory diversity training for faculty and staff.

The required training would take place on the electronic platform EverFi, according to a memo sent to employees obtained by The College Fix.

Employees were notified that this program would serve to demonstrate the “mission, goals, values, and strategic plan” of the public university in ensuring an inclusive and welcoming work environment.

Commentary: Save America From Action Civics

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 RealClearWire

Booker was about twelve when he first set foot in a classroom and discovered that he needed a last name. He invented one on the spot, and for the rest of his life, he was Booker Washington. It was then and still is a civics lesson for America. As a slave born on the Burroughs Plantation in 1856, he was simply Booker. But as a freed individual determined to make something of himself, he chose to identify with his country’s founder.

Booker T. Washington—he added the T later—spent the rest of his life getting educated and educating others, black and white. He is out of fashion these days because he preached black advancement through relentless hard work and veered away from challenging the racist public policies of his time. But he still has something to teach us, namely that Americans have to own their history.

Illegal Immigrants in Rio Grande Valley Being Released Without Court Date

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector of Texas are reportedly releasing illegal immigrants seeking asylum into the U.S. without giving them court dates, Fox News reported Sunday.

Illegal immigrants claiming asylum are not given a Notice to Appear before being released from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody, multiple unnamed Border Patrol agents confirmed with Fox News. Since the migrants aren’t given a court date to attend an asylum hearing, the responsibility is on them to schedule one through Immigrations and Customs Enforcement or other legal assistance.

Border Patrol agents were reportedly told to use prosecutorial discretion when determining to skip the paperwork needed to schedule a court date, according to Fox News. Biometrical data is gathered from the migrants before they’re released into the U.S.

Northam Announces $20.1 Million for Virginia Broadband Infrastructure

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 The Center Square

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is directing $20.1 million in grants for 11 projects in the commonwealth to strengthen broadband infrastructure, his office announced Thursday.

The projects are designed to increase broadband connectivity throughout 17 localities. The projects will connect more than 13,400 establishments, which will include households, businesses and anchor institutions and is leveraging $18.8 million in private and local investments.

“Quality broadband service is key to growing our economy, and learning, competing, and succeeding in today’s digital world,” Northam said in a statement. “This funding will have an enormous impact on thousands on unserved Virginians and bring us closer to our goal of every community in our Commonwealth having access to high-speed internet.”

Commentary: Your Freedom of Speech Ends Wednesday

March 23, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The Senate’s Committee on Rules and Administration Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has announced she is holding a hearing Wednesday, March 24th at 10:00 AM ET on H.R.1/S.1, the Democrats’ misnamed “For the People Act.”

This is the first announced Senate hearing on the Democrats’ plan to do away with your freedom of speech, and if you were hoping the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration would act to correct the outrages that are central provisions of the House-passed bill, think again.

Governor Northam Signs Consumer Data Protection Act

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Eric Burk

Virginia now has consumer data protection laws after Governor Ralph Northam signed HB 2307. Out of 139 legislators in the General Assembly, only 15 voted against the Consumer Data Protection Act. According to legal site JDSupra, that makes Virginia the second state (after California) to pass such a law.

Key provisions of the bill allow consumers to opt out of data collection, require entities to post conspicuous notices when collecting data to be sold to third parties, and require them to post privacy notices describing how to opt out. However, the bill also allows those entities to deny the opt-out request under certain circumstances, authorizing the consumer to file a complaint through the attorney general.