Month: August 2021

One of the residual effects of last year’s chaotic election is the palpable fear of former President Trump that still haunts the Democrats. Their congressional antics, from the absurd post-election impeachment to the parodic House investigation into the Jan. 6 “insurrection,” confirm that they are still very much afraid of the man they ostensibly defeated last November. This has nothing to do with any threat that Trump or his supporters pose to the republic, as media alarmists insist. The actual source of Democratic trepidation can be found in their lackluster performance in the 2020 presidential and congressional elections combined with Trump’s clear intention to become very much involved in boosting Republicans in next year’s midterms.

First, a reality check concerning the 2020 election: Biden didn’t win a popular vote landslide as the Democrats still claim. According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) totals, he won 81,268,924 of 158,383,403 ballots cast. In other words, 77,114,479 people voted for Trump or one of the third-party candidates. That nearly 49 percent of the voters cast ballots against Biden, despite the unprecedented support he received from the media and Big Tech cannot fail to worry rational Democrats. Nor can they help being unnerved by a poll conducted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that strongly suggests their anemic 2020 congressional showing portends worse results in 2022.

Johns Hopkins Professor Says COVID Infection Provides More Immunity Than Vaccines

A doctor and professor with Johns Hopkins University said in a recent television appearance that, contrary to the official government narrative, those who actually catch the coronavirus and recover are approximately seven times more immune from future infections than those who receive a vaccine, as reported by the Daily Caller.

Dr. Marty Makary, during his interview on the Vince Coglianese Show, said studies have proven that “natural immunity is better against the Delta variant” than vaccines. “When you get infected with COVID, your body’s immune system develops antibodies to the entire surface of the virus. Not just the slight protein that the vaccines give you, but the entire surface. And so, you get a more diverse antibody portfolio in your system.”

Commentary: Government’s Failed COVID Messaging Is to Blame for Vaccine Hesitancy

It was always going to be Herculean to inoculate, with an untried vaccine, a multi-ethnic nation of 330 million, across a vast continent—in an era when the media routinely warps the daily news.

Some minorities understandably harbored distrust of prior government vaccination programs.

More Votes Counted Than Cast in Nevada 2020 General Election, Analysis of Voting Files Shows

An analysis of Nevada state voter data shows a 9,000-vote difference between those marked as having participated in the 2020 General Election and the number of ballots actually cast.

The non-partisan Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), which officially announced its launch this week, compared the states’ official certified vote totals to the state official voter files, which indicate how many individual Nevada voters were recorded as actually having cast ballots last November.

Jobless Claims Fall Below 400,000, Hit Economists’ Expectations

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 385,000 last week as the economy continues its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics figure released Thursday represented a slight decrease in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending July 24, when 399,000 new jobless claims were reported. That number was revised down from the 400,000 jobless claims initially reported last week.

Biden Administration Has Released over 7,000 COVID-Positive Migrants into Texas Since February

The Biden government has released over 7,000 COVID positive illegal immigrants into the city of McAllen, Texas since mid February of 2021—including
over 1,500 infected migrants in just the past week, Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported on Wednesday.

“Despite the City of McAllen and its community partners’ best efforts, the sheer number of immigrants being released into the city has become a crisis: a crisis the City of McAllen did not create and has proactively tried to avoid for seven years,” the city said in a statement.

Border Agents Will Use Body-Worn Cameras in An Effort to Be More Transparent

Border agents will be issued body-worn cameras in an effort to be more transparent, Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expects to issue around 6,000 body-worn cameras by the end of 2021 as part of the agency’s new Incident-Driven Video Recording Systems program, according to the announcement.

The Border Crisis Is Killing Americans, Data Shows

The drugs flowing over the border are leading to an uptick in fentanyl deaths, and experts are split about how to solve it.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has called fentanyl the “primary driver” of the record 92,183 drug overdose deaths in 2020. Many drug dealers use fentanyl to make money and smuggle it through the southern border mixed with other drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine to make them more potent — and more deadly — according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Biden Nominee Helped Edit Radical Paper That Gloated the Feds Were Bungling Investigation into Tree Spiking Plot

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management was an editor for an issue of the radical Earth First journal that contained a non-bylined story gloating that federal investigators were bungling their investigation into an eco-terrorism incident the nominee was directly involved in.

The nominee, Tracy Stone-Manning, was one of the six members of the editorial collective for the June 21, 1991, edition of the radical environmental journal. One of the only stories in the 40-page issue that did not contain an author byline was a story celebrating the Forest Service’s move to deactivate their investigation into the 1989 Clearwater National Forest tree spiking incident in the absence of any solid leads.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Dead at 72

Richard Trumka, the leader of the AFL-CIO has died. He was 72.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, reportedly fighting back tears, announced Trumka’s unexpected death on the chamber floor early Thursday afternoon. Politico is reporting that Trumka is believed to have died as the result of a massive heart attack.

Federal Judge Rules Implementing Critical Race Theory Violates Civil Rights Law

Critical race theory flies in the face of the federal Civil Rights Act by presuming that racial disparities are the result of racial discrimination, a federal appeals court judge wrote in a concurrence.

A black property owner alleged that a Texas navigation district committed racial discrimination by threatening to condemn properties and conspiring with city officials to keep property values low in his neighborhood, so it could acquire them for a channel improvement project. The East End of Freeport was created as a “Negro reservation” and remains majority-minority, though Hispanics heavily outnumber blacks.

Virginia Senate Passes Amended American Rescue Plan Act Allocation Bill

August 6, 2021August 5, 2021 Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia — The Virginia Senate passed its amended version of the $4.3 billion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation bill late Wednesday evening, after hours of debate on amendments. Although some Republican amendments, including a key law enforcement bonus proposal, were incorporated into the spending bill, many were not. Rejected amendments included a sweeping election integrity amendment and an anti-Critical Race Theory amendment. The final vote on passing the bill was 22-18. Many Republicans said that while they supported some elements of the bill, they disapproved of the process Democrats used, including a vote Wednesday evening to limit debate on each amendment to just three minutes.

Right before the vote to pass the budget, the Senate GOP caucus went into conference. When the senators returned, Minority Leader Thomas Norment, Jr. (R-James City) hinted that many of his caucus would vote against the bill. He said, “It is not so much about the substantive provisions of the budget that we have amended. Rather I believe that the vote you are about to see is going to be a reflection of the frustration and the indignation of the entire process.”

DOJ Legal Threats Against State Election Audits Suggest Unease about Potential Findings

August 5, 2021 Admin

The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent guidance on the process of state election audits indicates that the federal agency is apparently deeply unsettled by the string of election audits and election reform efforts carried out by state Republicans since last November’s presidential election.

The guidance, distributed last week and directed in part toward state legislatures, instructs investigators on “how states must comply with federal law” when conducting election audits. It also addresses efforts by some state legislatures to repeal emergency COVID-19 voting rules that other states have in some cases sought to make permanent.

Virginia House of Delegates Quickly Passes American Rescue Plan Act Spending Bill

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – The House of Delegates met, passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) by a 71-25 vote and adjourned in 30 minutes on Wednesday. Facing 107 pages of proposed amendments, a photo-op, and a series of lengthy recesses, the Senate had not completed its debate by press time Wednesday evening although it convened at 10 a.m.

Commentary: Our Public Health Bureaucracy Can’t Be Dismantled Quickly Enough

Earlier this week, the estimable Robert Stacy McCain delivered a quite spot-on assessment of the terrible science behind the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance on masks, vaccinations, and the Delta variant of COVID-19. That guidance has thrown the entire country into a fresh panic about the virus, so much so that in places like Nevada, Louisiana and Washington, D.C. there are now mask mandates in place even for people vaccinated against the virus.

It seems the CDC had two sources for upsetting the national applecart. According to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, it relied on a study of a vaccine in use in India which apparently was less than effective in warding off the Delta variant — but that vaccine isn’t used in the United States because our authorities weren’t satisfied as to its effectiveness, period.

Commentary: Unions Enforce Masks for the Public But Don’t Require Member Vaccinations

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 RealClearWire

Flight attendants’ and teachers’ unions whose members are on the front lines of disputed Covid safety protocols are ardent enforcers of mask mandates for the public but do not require their members to get vaccinated. Such inoculation is widely acknowledged as the most effective step in stopping the spread of the new Delta variant, while masking is viewed as of secondary importance, and many are highly skeptical of its effectiveness and critical of its inconvenience.

As the Association of Flight Attendants continues to urge federal authorities to allow flight attendants to police passengers for masking – a policy that has led to fisticuffs on some flights – the union has struck an agreement with at least one airline, United, to allow unvaccinated members to fly. American Airlines and Southwest Air say they also do not require their flight attendants or other employees to vaccinate. Flight attendants for both airlines are unionized.

Texas Congressman Calls for Impeachment of Biden over Immigration Policy

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 The Center Square

Texas Republican Congressman Chip Roy is calling for the impeachment of President Joe Biden and the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, citing their “reckless immigration policy” that many lawmakers argue is endangering the lives of Texans and Americans.

“Total encounters: 205,029. Total known getaways: 37,400. 1.3 million for 2021 so far. Largest monthly encounter number since 2000,” Roy tweeted.

Report: Border Officials Encountered 21-Year Record High Number of Migrants in July

Border officials encountered an estimated 210,000 migrants at the southern border in July, the highest monthly total since 2000, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Preliminary government data reportedly shows border officials encountered some 19,000 unaccompanied migrant minors, a record high from previous months including just over 18,800 in March, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy David Shahoulian said, the AP reported.

Medical Examiner Requested Cremation of Babbitt’s Body Two Days After Capitol Breach, Docs Show

The Washington D.C. Offices of the Chief Medical Examiner submitted a request to cremate Jan. 6 Capitol protester Ashli Babbitt two days after gaining custody of the body, according to documents obtained and released Tuesday by conservative watchdog Judicial Watch.

Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and San Diego native, was fatally shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer as she attempted to climb through a broken window of a door to the Speaker’s Lobby, a room off House chambers.

CDC Extends Trump-Era Public Health Order Allowing Border Officials to Expel Most Migrants

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the Trump-era public health order allowing border officials to expel most migrants back to Mexico or Canada, the agency announced Monday.

The regulation, known as Title 42, temporarily prohibits noncitizens from entering the U.S. through Canada or Mexico regardless of their port of origin in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 into the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unaccompanied migrants minors were exempt from the order.

Commentary: I’m Unvaccinated – and I Plan to Stay That Way

The word “confusing” is being used (even by the New York Times) to describe the CDC’s reasoning behind its announcement that masks must again be worn indoors, even by the fully vaccinated.

In fact, the CDC’s reasoning is clear, and talk about “confusion” is an attempt to conceal a straightforward assessment: As CDC head bureaucrat Rochelle Walensky said on Fox News on Friday, vaccinated people can still get the “delta” variant and can transmit it. Top medical mafioso Anthony Fauci said essentially the same thing last week—that for the delta variant there was no difference in the observed level of “virality” between people who were vaccinated and those who were not.

Biden Administration Allegedly Planning to Distribute Johnson and Johnson Vaccine to Illegal Aliens

Joe Biden is planning an effort to distribute doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to illegal aliens pouring into the United States across the southern border, as reported by Breitbart.

The report first came from the Washington Post, after several officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spoke under condition of anonymity. According to the officials, federal authorities will soon begin administering the single-shot vaccine to illegals currently held in U.S. custody along the southern border with Mexico. DHS plans to get illegals vaccinated as soon as possible upon their entry into the country, to be done even before they are fully processed.

Report: Private Companies Added Half as Many Jobs as Expected in July

Private companies added 330,000 jobs in July, far fewer than expected and the lowest amount since February, according to a major payroll report.

The 330,000 jobs added to private payroll last month represented a significant decline from the 680,000 jobs added in June, the ADP National Employment Report showed. Economists predicted that private companies would add 653,000 jobs in July, nearly double the number reported Wednesday, according to CNBC.

Big Three Automakers Reinstate Mask Mandates for All Workers

America’s largest automobile manufacturers, along with United Auto Workers (UAW), will require all employees to wear masks again starting Wednesday.

The decision was made by a COVID-19 task force comprised of health officials from UAW, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which manufactures Dodge and Chrysler vehicles. All workers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, have to wear masks at plants, office buildings, and warehouses, UAW announced in a statement Tuesday.

Study: Chip Shortages and Pandemic Caused Used Car Prices to Jump 31 Percent in Detroit

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 The Center Square

Used car prices keep climbing in Detroit.

According to iSeeCars’ newest study, used car prices in June increased by 31.4% or $7,179, in Detroit year over year as a result of the microchip shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Files Petition Against Biden’s Undoing of Trump-Era Water Safety Regulation

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 The Center Square

Attorney General Mark Brnovich is leading a coalition of attorneys general in filing a petition challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s “Delay Rule,” which postponed the Trump Administration’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR).

“While the Biden Administration talks a lot about preserving clean air and water for future generations, they have failed to ensure clean drinking water for our children now,” Brnovich said in a news release on Friday.

Clay Percle Flies into Virginia’s 10th District Republican Primary

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 Matthew Hall

As the old saying goes in Virginia, there’s always another election coming up next year. Political newcomer and United Air Force Veteran Clay Percle announced his campaign for the United States House of Representatives campaign. Percle sat down with The Virginia Star to discuss his bid for Congress and discuss current political events.

Virginia Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee McAuliffe Enlists Election Skeptic Stacey Abrams to Help Fundraise

August 5, 2021August 5, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

After attempting to tie his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin to former President Donald J. Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results, former Virginia governor and current Democrat candidate for governor Terry McAuliffe has enlisted fundraising support from a notorious election skeptic.

During last week’s back-and-forth between the candidates that featured McAuliffe attacking Youngkin over his support for Trump and what McAuliffe’s campaign characterized as Trump’s election lies, and Youngkin responding by blasting McAuliffe for saying the 2000 election was stolen by then-President George W. Bush in his capacity as chairman of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Democrat activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was sending fundraising emails on behalf of McAuliffe.

Virginia Senate GOP Criticizes Decision to Postpone Campaign Finance Reform Meeting on Same Day Democrats Hold Fundraiser

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 Eric Burk

The Virginia Senate GOP is questioning General Assembly Democrats’ commitment to campaign finance reform after the inaugural meeting of the Joint Subcommittee on Campaign Finance Reform was rescheduled from Monday morning while a Democratic fundraiser breakfast went forward.

“Evidently, Democrats are very enthusiastic about limiting campaign donations to politicians who aren’t Democrats,” Senate Minority Leader Thomas Norment, Jr. (R-James City) said in a Monday press release. “Today’s cancellation is a reminder of their true priorities related to campaign funding: raising as much money as possible to elect Democrats.”

Virginia House Democrats Defeat Republican Proposals to Alter American Rescue Plan Act Spending Bill

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – The House of Delegates voted against several Republican attempts to change proposals to allocate $4.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on Tuesday afternoon. House Republicans led by Delegate Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) introduced an alternate bill, but it was defeated 53 to 43. House Democrats also defeated amendments from Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) and attorney general candidate Delegate Jason Miyares (R-Virginia Beach).

“It is a shame that despite our concerns that this process was not opened up to the traditional committee vetting process, that members on this side of the aisle were told, and frankly on your side of the aisle were told, ‘Your input is not welcome.’ I would have hoped that in this process we would have at least been afforded the opportunity to explain our bill, but instead we are left with the inevitable two minutes,” Gilbert said.

Commentary: The Rule of Law Hostage to ‘Enemy Action’

I have always admired the admonitory wisdom that Auric Goldfinger imparted to James Bond early in Ian Fleming’s novel named for the gold-loving villain: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”

I have thought often of that sage advisory in recent months as so many once-trustworthy institutions of American life seem to have been weaponized against the people they were meant to serve.

This is, alas, a huge topic, and today I will only scratch the surface.

Greg Abbott: Biden ‘Knowingly Importing COVID-19 at Extreme Rates’ via Infected Illegals

Alegal battle and war of words between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government over COVID-positive migrants being released into Texas communities escalated over the weekend.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas Friday over an executive order Abbott issued restricting the transport of infected immigrants who entered the country illegally being released into the general population.

“The Biden Administration is knowingly admitting hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, many of whom the federal government knows full well have COVID-19,” Abbott said in response to the lawsuit.

Biden Calls for Cuomo’s Resignation Following Report on Sexual Harassment Claims

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 The Center Square

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a renewed surge of calls for his resignation after an independent investigation released a report Tuesday finding the sexual harassment allegations against him credible and that his administration broke several laws in responding to some claims.

The report led President Joe Biden and other prominent national Democrats, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to say Cuomo needs to go.

“I think he should resign,” Biden told reporters Tuesday afternoon at the White House.

Andrew Cuomo to Face No Criminal Charges from State Attorney General Despite Findings of Unlawful Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

New York Attorney General Letitia James said there will be no criminal consequences for Gov. Andrew Cuomo despite her findings that he engaged in “unlawful” sexual harassment and retaliation against multiple women.

“Our work is concluded and the document is now public,” James said during a press conference Tuesday. “And the matter is civil in nature and does not have any criminal consequences.”

“We were tasked with the responsibility of engaging in an investigation. And we have concluded our investigation. And our work is done,” she added. “And so as it relates to next steps, that’s entirely up to the governor and or the assembly and the general public. But the work of the office of the Attorney General and these special deputies has concluded.”

McDonald’s Will Require Workers and Customers to Wear Masks, Vaccinated or Not

Fast food chain McDonald’s is requiring all its staff and customers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to resume wearing masks in its restaurants in areas deemed high risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The company first announced its new rules in an internal memo to franchisees and workers, CNBC reported. The rules, which went into effect Monday, follow updated guidance last week from the CDC, which recommended fully-vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors to prevent the spread of the delta variant of coronavirus.

McDonald’s told the Daily Caller News Foundation the change in policy was due to the CDC’s updated guidance, and said the company was following the science in making its decision.

Commentary: Pennsylvania Is a Microcosm of America’s Housing Crisis

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 RealClearWire

A modern home with a light blue roof and matching siding

In recent years, an acute housing crisis has engulfed both America’s coastal metros and Rust Belt regions. California’s Bay Area, for example, confronts a crisis of affordability and limited supply that hastens a population exodus. Midwest cities like Detroit face low real-estate prices and low demand, intensifying urban decline.

Pennsylvania is a microcosm of such alarming housing trends, especially east of the Susquehanna River, which is seeing an influx of metro New Yorkers relocating to the area.

From the Keystone State’s middle-class suburbs to its post-industrial locales, the housing crisis is a major challenge. In the midstate, most notably in Harrisburg and Lancaster, housing has become significantly more expensive. In the northeast’s anthracite coal region, anchored by Scranton, rents are spiking. And in suburban Philadelphia’s Lansdale, a townhouse went for nearly $500,000.

Associated Press and Reuters Team Up with Twitter to Patrol Political Dissent as ‘Misinformation’

Two of the largest news publications in the country, the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters, have teamed up with one of the leading tech giants, Twitter, in a new partnership to crack down on “misinformation” and “elevate credible information,” the Daily Caller reports.

Twitter confirmed the new alliance in a blog post, saying that the two publications would be responsible for identifying “misleading” information, and to help Twitter expand its efforts to mediate trending stories, “especially where facts are in dispute.” The websites will also help Twitter staff whenever they lack “sufficient expertise or access to a high enough volume of reputable reporting.”

“This program is just part of our ongoing efforts to help people understand the conversation happening on our service,” the Twitter blog post continued. “People experience a range of public conversations on Twitter every day, and we’re committed to continuing our work to elevate credible information and context.”

Commentary: The Left Labels the Average American ‘Extremist’

A shibboleth among some progressives is that in its imperialistic foray, the United States historically has backed “right-wing” and opposed “left-wing” leaders around the globe based on an anti-Communist ideological tendency.

But more than intellectual McCarthyism, our opposition to nationalist and populist movements and individuals abroad has been motivated by whether and to what degree a group has opposed United States political-corporate interests. Better to be sovereign in one’s own country than to live beholden to satraps.

Commentary: The Collapse of the College Republicans

It’s easy to dismiss happenings within the College Republicans organization as trivial college drama and beneath the notice of serious political observers. But the surprising amount of mainstream media coverage of the latest CR debacle is justified, as one of the top “conservative” student groups in the country reaches an existential crossroads.

Former President Trump to Hold Rally in Alabama

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 Cooper Moran

Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in conjunction with the Alabama Republican Party in Cullman, Alabama on August 21.

The rally will focus on “President Trump’s further support of the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of President Trump’s Administration.”

GOP Report Points to Wuhan Lab as Source of COVID

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 The Center Square

As COVID cases surge around the nation, questions still remain around the origins of the virus, but one Republican study has put forth controversial answers.

Lead Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday released the newest edition of their investigation into the origins of COVID. The report points to problems with the Wuhan lab in question, including lax safety protocols and ignored maintenance requests on the disinfectant and hazardous waste systems.

American Center for Law Sues Virginia County for Unlawful Discrimination for Requiring Church to Obtain Liquor License

August 4, 2021August 3, 2021 Cooper Moran

The American Center for Law and Justice filed a lawsuit on Tuesday on behalf of a local church against Prince William County, Virginia, due to the government requiring a church to obtain a liquor license in order to use its own property.

The group alleges the county is discriminating against Alive Church of the Nazarene because of the regulation and the church’s belief against obtaining the license.

D.C. Mayor Denies Breaking Her Own Mask Mandate Despite Photo Evidence

Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser denied breaking her own mask mandate at a wedding Saturday night, despite photo evidence showing her seated maskless at a table.

The Washington Examiner first reported late Saturday that the mayor had officiated a wedding attended by “hundreds of unmasked guests” at 5-star Adams Morgan hotel, The Line DC.

The Examiner included a photograph of the mayor seated at a table maskless, noting that she “did not wear a mask despite not actively eating or drinking.” Several other guests in the picture are also not wearing masks.

‘Communism Taking Root in America,’ Critical Race Theory Foe Warns

About 350 concerned residents crowded into a church in Georgetown, Delaware, on Thursday evening to hear from a panel of experts about critical race theory—one of whom likened its spread throughout American culture to Mao Zedong’s communist Cultural Revolution in China.

“Today, communism is taking root in America,” speaker Xi Van Fleet said.

Commentary: Politically Correct Ideology Is Masking and Contributing to the Widespread Failure of Our Institutions

We know the nature of mass hysterias in history, and how they can overwhelm and paralyze what seem to be stable societies.

We know the roots and origins of the cult of wokeness.

And we know, too, how such insanity—from the Salem witch trials to Jacobinism to McCarthyism—can spread, despite alienating most of the population, through fear and the threat of personal ruin or worse. These are the dark sides of the tulip, hula-hoop, and pet-rock fads, the mass obsessions so suited to past affluent Western societies.

General Assembly Back in Session, in Person, to Allocate ARPA Funds

August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – The budget bill to allocate $4.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds passed out of the House of Delegates Committee on Appropriations on Monday, the first step to passing Governor Ralph Northam’s proposals for the money.

But the first day of the second 2022 special session saw legislative gridlock between the Senate and the House of Delegates. The House passed HJ 7003, which establishes the rules and schedule for how the session will operate. When the legislation was sent to the Senate, Senate Democratic leaders introduced three amendments which received broad bipartisan support.

Australia Plans to Deploy the Army to Enforce COVID Lockdown Orders

The Australian government will deploy several hundred soldiers to Sydney to begin enforcing COVID-19 lockdowns Monday following a rise in delta variant infections.

The troops were requested by New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Thursday to assist in enforcing COVID-19 lockdowns, Fuller announced in a statement. Since June, an outbreak of the delta variant has resulted in almost 3,000 infections, but only nine deaths, the BBC reported.

Commentary: U.S. COVID Deaths Are at Lowest Level Since March 2020, Ivy League Professors Explain