Month: May 2022

Commentary: The Left’s Misery Continues to ‘Elongate’

Admin

A few weeks ago, Exxon announced that it was banning the display of Pride and BLM flags at its headquarters in Houston. There was a ripple of unhappiness, but nothing was burned down, the media attention was muted, and the world went about its business as before.

Across the country, school board elections are tossing out woke ideologues and partisans of critical race theory and replacing what amounts to gay pornography in the curriculum with more wholesome fare. The Biden Administration keeps running into roadblocks, most recently a judicial order halting its efforts to rescind Title 42, a Trump-era emergency order that turned away would-be immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. A few days ago, Biden’s absurd Disinformation Governance Board was shuttered and its pathetic director, Nina Jankowicz, sucked back into the memory hole whence she came.

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Blake Masters: Everyone Is Asking Me Why We Are Sending $40 Billion to Ukraine

Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed the former president of Thiel Capital and Arizona GOP Senate hopeful Blake Masters about what voters are telling him and why he is running to replace Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly.

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Over Half the Country at Risk of ‘Energy Emergencies’ This Summer, Electric Grid Analysis Shows

Admin

Millions of Americans across the Midwest, Southwest and West are expected to face blackouts throughout the summer months, an industry analysis concluded.

A variety of factors, including drought conditions and low wind conditions, are expected to put Americans in roughly 28 states at risk of experiencing blackouts this summer, according to a report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a U.S. regulatory authority, published Wednesday. The region managed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) across 15 Midwest states is at the highest risk of “energy emergencies” during the summer due to capacity shortfalls, the analysis showed.

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Targeted Staff Cuts, New Corporate Ethos: Netflix Takes a Stand for Creative Independence

Admin

Dave Chappelle’s 2021 Netflix stand-up special “The Closer” sparked protests from the streamer’s own employees over allegedly anti-trans jokes.

Now, the platform is drawing an unmistakable line in the sand, proclaiming a corporate culture that prizes individual creative freedom above the collective ideological discipline enforced by cancel culture.

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China’s Most Powerful Bombers Buzz U.S. Military Bases in Japan

Admin

China’s most powerful bombers circled U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan, on Wednesday, according to Chinese state-run media Thursday.

A pair of China’s H-6J bombers crossed between two of the largest islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, where the U.S has multiple military installations, before circling in the region, Global Times reported. The bombers likely coordinated with the Liaoning aircraft carrier group, which has been conducting drills in the region since May 2, according to the report.

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Commentary: The World Does Not Run on Magic

Admin

At a recent hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, the CEO of Colonial Pipeline made an admission which illustrates quite well our negligence and improvidence. The company paid out nearly $5 million in blackmail money to an unknown hacker when the pipeline was shut down for several days. That, of course, was bad enough, and most of the man’s testimony had to do with the technicalities of which government agency was notified and when, and what the company’s computer experts did to remedy the situation. 

But there was another piece of his testimony, one that you had to look hard to find in the news reports. He testified that most of the men who could operate the controls on the pipeline have died or retired, so that the 5,500-mile line must rely almost wholly upon computerized systems for its operation. That means, of course, that we are vulnerable to attacks by people who do not have to take a guard at gunpoint, or dig a big hole somewhere that no one will notice.

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Biden May Not Hold Any Offshore Oil and Gas Leases Until the End of His Term, Industry Group Says

Admin

The American Petroleum Institute (API), a leading industry group, said the next offshore oil and gas lease sale likely wouldn’t come until early 2024 following the latest Biden administration update.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced Thursday that it would issue an updated proposed program plan for offshore lease sales by June 30. The API, though, said the announcement confirms the administration is “significantly behind” in the multi-year process required for approving a new five-year offshore plan, likely delaying lease sales until early 2024.

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Australian Transgender Surfer Crushes the Competition in Open Women’s Divisions

Admin

A transgender surfer in Western Australia has become the first person in history to win both the men’s and women’s divisions of the sport.

This month, 43-year-old Sasha Jane Lowerson crushed the competition in the Open Women’s and Open Logger divisions at the West Coast Suspensions Longboard and Logger State Championships, as well as a number of state titles.

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At Least 135 Educators Charged with Child Sex Crimes in 2022 Alone

Admin
man in handcuffs

In less than five months, at least 135 teachers, teachers’ aides, and other school employees across the country have been arrested and charged with various child sex crimes.

As reported by Fox News, the total of 135 does not account for arrests that haven’t been publicized, meaning the final total for the year 2022 thus far may be even higher. The 135 arrests have taken place across 41 states between January 1st and May 13th, averaging to about one arrest per day. Most of the suspects are men.

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Border Patrol Memo Lays the Groundwork for Mass Release of Illegal Immigrants into the US

Admin

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz instructed agency leadership on how the agency plans to release migrants amid a border surge, according to a memo sent Thursday exclusively obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

In the memo, which was sent to chief patrol agents and directorate chiefs, Ortiz recognized that Border Patrol faces a “current migrant surge and is preparing for the anticipated increase in encounters of undocumented noncitizens following the anticipated lifting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s [CDC] Title 42 public health order.”

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NIH Study: Vaccinated People Develop Fewer Antibodies Than Unvaccinated After COVID Infection

Admin

Unvaccinated people develop much broader antibody immunity after being infected with COVID than people who have received the mRNA shots do, according to an NIH study. And the gap was large whether subjects had mild, moderate, or severe COVID infections.

The results of the study, which were highlighted by Alex Berenson on his Unreported Truths Substack, Daniel Horowitz at the Blaze, and Igor Chudov on his Substack newsletter, completely destroy the regime narrative that the shots provide stronger immunity than a natural infection, and may help explain why so many vaccinated Americans are now suffering from multiple COVID infections.

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Russia Announces Western Military Buildup to Match NATO Presence Near Its Borders

Admin

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the buildup of forces in the nation’s Western Military District as a response to the mounting NATO forces near its borders.

“Twelve military units and subunits will be formed in the Western Military District by the end of the year,” said Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who highlighted the Swedish and Finnish bids to join NATO as factors in the buildup, according to Russian state media outlet Tass.

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Republicans Nominate Navy Vet Hung Cao in VA-10, Renominate Good in VA-05, Nominate Lipsman in VA-08

Eric Burk

Republicans in Virginia’s 5th, 8th, and 10th Congressional Districts met Saturday, nominating Hung Cao to challenge Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10). Republicans also nominated Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) for re-election and nominating Karina Lipsman to challenge Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08).

“Hey Virginia, we did it! Thank you to my campaign team, my volunteers, the donors, all my friends, and you the electorate. We did it, and now we’re going forward to the general election. We’re going to unite this district like it’s never been united before,” Cao said in a Sunday video.

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Hillary Factor: Evidence Now Shows False Russia Collusion Story Began and Ended with Clinton

Virginia Star Staff

In an era where the hunt for disinformation has become a political obsession, Hillary Clinton has mostly escaped having to answer what role she played in spreading the false Russia collusion narrative that gripped America for nearly three years.

On Friday, that dodge ended with a most unlikely witness: her former campaign manager Robby Mook, who was supposed to be a witness helping the defense of her former campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann on a charge of lying to the FBI.

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Commentary: Immigration Reform, America’s Holy Grail

Virginia Star Staff

Anyone who follows politics is accustomed to the overuse of the word “reform.” It is almost always depicted as a highly desirable goal that will sweep away bad precedents and usher in a new era of smarter government policy.

Reform is often a good and necessary thing. But there are few words left more open to interpretation. Reform, depending on who is suggesting the change, can mean entirely different things even when applied to the same issue. This is especially true when it comes to immigration.

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Commentary: Trans People and the Politics of Propriety

Virginia Star Staff

Over the last few years, leftists have intensified their attacks on traditional norms regarding sex and gender identity. This began in the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage nationwide. Activists swiftly redirected their efforts toward securing transgender rights, which was trumpeted as the next frontier in the struggle for LGBT equality. 

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Louisiana Judge Blocks Biden from Lifting Title 42 Immigration Rule

Virginia Star Staff

A Louisiana judge ruled Friday that President Biden must at least temporarily keep in place federal rule Title 42 that was activate by the Trump administration as a public health measure to limit immigration during the pandemic.

Judge Robert Summerhays, a Trump appointee for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, imposed the preliminary injunction against the lifting of the order while the case advances through the court system.

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Biden Once Again Turns to Venezuela for Oil After Shutting Down U.S. Leases

Virginia Star Staff

The Biden Administration is reportedly set to announce that it will lift several sanctions and other restrictions on Venezuela, allowing for the purchase of oil from the socialist dictatorship.

As reported by The Daily Caller, two anonymous administration officials said that the federal government will soon ease up some of the energy sanctions against the Latin American country, and will allow the American oil company Chevron to enter into negotiations to purchase oil from the state-owned firm PDVSA. In return for the lifting of sanctions, dictator Nicolas Maduro has tentatively agreed to talks with opposition leader Juan Guadio, who has claimed that Maduro’s rule is illegitimate and that he is the rightful president of Venezuela.

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Primary Source of COVID Misinformation Is the Feds, Scientists and Scholars Tell Surgeon General

Virginia Star Staff

U.S Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently asked the public how COVID-19 misinformation “in the digital information environment” had affected health outcomes, trust in the healthcare system and “likelihood to vaccinate,” among other issues.

According to vaccine and healthcare policy experts who joined with Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, the misinformation is coming from inside the house.

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Pennsylvania GOP Senate Race May Not See Winner Until June

Virginia Star Staff

The Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary is still too close to call and likely headed for a recount which could delay the declaration of a winner into mid-June.

Per the Associated Press, Dr. Mehmet Oz currently holds a narrow 1,079 vote lead over rival David McCormick, amounting to 0.08% of the 1,340,248 total votes.

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Commentary: Stop Canceling Ordinary Russians

RealClearWire

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now in its third month, the demonization of all things Russian continues in the West. Russian athletes are prohibited from participating in sporting events, Russian artists prevented from performing, and an Italian university even “postponed” a course on Dostoevsky. As Tal Fortgang observes, “cancel culture is directed not at Russia the violent invader, but at people who have been made into avatars for Russianism.”

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Survey Suggests High Summer Travel; Virginia Tourism Industry Worried About Gas Prices

The Center Square

A survey from the tech company GasBuddy found more Americans are planning to travel this summer, but the Virginia tourism industry is still concerned that the steady increase of gas prices could still cause issues.

“Against a backdrop of gas prices that have continued to set new records ahead of Memorial Day, Americans have been resilient in their desire to hit the road, but we’re certainly seeing increased hesitancy due to rising prices at the pump,” Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said in a statement.

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Youngkin, Miyares, and Earle-Sears Commemorate Armed Forces Day with Ceremonial Bill Signing

Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a proclamation honoring Armed Forces Day and ceremonially signed 23 bills focused on veterans and the military. Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears spoke at the bill-signing held at the Virginia War Memorial on Friday.

“It’s a powerful statement: 23 bills were passed unanimously,” Youngkin said. “I want to thank our veteran caucus for all the work that you do in order to make sure that our veterans are taken care of. These 23 bills are just the beginning. When the time comes for service members to retire, to turn the page on the next chapter of their life, we want them to make their permanent home in Virginia.”

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Commentary: Biden Needs to Take the Blame for Inflation

RealClearWire

Last week, President Biden gave a speech listing everyone and everything allegedly responsible for record high inflation. His list included corporate greed and price gouging, Vladimir Putin, and “ultra-MAGA” Republicans. The president said that his policies, and the nearly $7 trillion in spending he authorized, have nothing to do with inflation.

None of this holds up under scrutiny. While President Biden claims that corporations are ripping off Americans, the costs of their supplies have been increasing at a record rate. In reality, many companies that Biden claims are stiffing consumers have actually lost money because they don’t want to alienate their customers by raising prices too quickly.

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Commentary: Benjamin Franklin’s Work as a Psychologist

RealClearWire

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most fascinating men ever to walk this earth. Born into a working-class family, he had practically no formal education, yet became one of the most wealthy, influential, loved, and respected men of all time. Europeans dubbed him “the best president America never had.” His excess energy made him an indefatigable worker, but it was his enthusiasm for life and his insatiable intellectual curiosity that most distinguished him. Throughout his long and distinguished career, he was always observing, reading, discussing, testing, questioning. In particular, he studied people, including himself. 

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Music Spotlight: Sammy Arriaga

Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A lot of people, myself included, are trying to wrap their heads around Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and exactly how they work. When I got asked to interview a country artist, Sammy Arriaga, who was successfully using NFTs in promoting his music, I was interested.

Sammy Arriaga is a Miami-born Cuban American. While his father occasionally sang and played guitar, he discovered his love for music on his own. He has been writing lyrics and downloading instrumentals from the internet since his early teens. He taught himself how to play guitar by watching YouTube videos.

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Commentary: Coverage of 1 Million COVID Deaths Must Include the Pandemic of Bad State Responses

RealClearWire

This week, the United States officially hit the sad mark of one million COVID-19 deaths. The mainstream media coverage has detailed how this death toll has varied based on age, race, and vaccination status. However, it has conspicuously ignored how these COVID-19 deaths have occurred independently of differing state policies regarding economic and education restrictions.

Many Democrat-run states imposed severe restrictions in 2020 and 2021 that did nothing to stop the virus and much to harm small businesses and ordinary Americans. Job Creators Network called on policymakers to “flatten the fear” when it became clear the virus couldn’t be controlled by hiding at home or a big government response, yet we were ignored by blue-state officials. Any reckoning of the nation’s COVID response at one million deaths must incorporate these unforced errors that exacerbated the pandemic’s wrath.

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Top Trans Medical Org Used Castration Fetish Site for Research to Develop Guidance for Doctors

Virginia Star Staff

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) developed its latest medical guidelines using information from a site that hosts pedophilic fantasy porn and castration fetish content.

WPATH, which sets medical standards for transgender medical procedures according to U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, released new draft guidelines Dec. 3, 2021 which include “eunuch” as a gender identity. The organization pulled information from a website called “Eunuch Archive,” which hosts thousands of members who discuss their castration fantasies and, according to WPATH, hosted a popular post providing instructions for self-castration.

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U.S. Will Soon See Average Gas Prices Above $6 a Gallon, Energy Analyst Says

Virginia Star Staff

The average price of gasoline nationwide could reach $6 per gallon this summer, far above historic levels and near California’s current prices, an analyst at JPMorgan said Tuesday.

“U.S. gasoline prices to break above $6,” Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan’s head of global oil and commodities research, wrote in a note to investors titled “Cruel Summer,” according to Bloomberg. “Typically, refiners produce more gasoline ahead of the summer road-trip season, building up inventories. But this year, since mid-April, U.S. gasoline inventories have fallen counter seasonally.”

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DHS ‘Pauses’ Ministry of Truth; Disinformation Czar Nina Jankowicz Resigns After Backlash

Virginia Star Staff

The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly “paused” it’s new Disinformation Governance Board, and its director, Nina Jankowicz, has apparently resigned amid a major pushback from conservatives who compared the board to an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth.”

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GOP Primary Turnout Could Signal Massive Republican Midterms Victories

Virginia Star Staff
People voting

High turnout in the 2022 Republican primaries could signal a red wave that allows the GOP to retake Congress in November, according to data from JMC Analytics & Polling.

As of Wednesday, GOP voters are projected to have made up about 54% of the turnout in the Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania primary races, according to JMC. Republican turnout increased to about 61% when the states that held primaries prior to Tuesday are included.

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American Schools Have Spent Just Seven Percent of Latest COVID Relief Funds

Virginia Star Staff

Over one year after the United States Congress passed the “American Rescue Plan,” the vast majority of school districts that were awarded relief funds have spent less than ten percent of that money.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, approximately $122 billion of the overall $1.9 trillion bill was designated for school districts that were determined to be in distress and in need of relief funds. But of that $122 billion, only about 7 percent has been spent in total across all the school districts nationwide that received some handouts.

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USDA Agents Raid and Seize Dogs at Beagle-Breeder-for Testing Envigo

Eric Burk

USDA agents and other authorities raided beagle-breeder-for-testing Envigo’s Cumberland facility and seized 145 dogs that were in “acute distress” on Wednesday, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh.
The attorney is representing the U.S. against Envigo, alleging that the breeder is violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).

“In less than a year, the company has amassed over 60 citations for non-compliance with the AWA, which have affected thousands of beagles. More than half of those citations were deemed ‘critical’ or ‘direct,’ the most serious types of AWA citation,” the complaint states. ” As relevant here, a ‘critical’ noncompliance is one that has a ‘serious or severe adverse effect on the health and well-being of the animal[s].’ [….] A ‘direct’ noncompliance is a critical noncompliance that is having a serious or severe adverse effect on the health and well-being of the animal at the time of the inspection.”

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Del. Anderson and VA-02 Candidate Altman Seeking Injunction Against Barnes and Noble

Eric Burk

Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) is seeking an injunction against Barnes & Noble because the retailer doesn’t limit access to books with mature content. On Wednesday, a judge found probable cause that Gender Queer: A Memoir and A Court of Mist and Fury are obscene as part of a lawsuit…

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Commentary: Americans View the Accomplishments the Biden Administration Attempts to Celebrate as Catastrophic

Virginia Star Staff

If an administration deliberately wished to cause havoc on the border, to ensure fuel was nearly unaffordable, to create a crime wave, to spark 1970s hyperinflation, and to rekindle racial tensions, what would it have done differently than what Joe Biden has done? 

So is Biden malicious, incompetent, or a wannabe left-wing ideologue? 

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Biden’s Plan to Surrender U.S. Health Sovereignty to ‘Corrupt, Chinese Communist Party Entity’ World Health Organization Draws Fire

Susan Berry, PhD

Many constitutionalists, lawmakers, and healthcare professionals are sounding the alarm over the Biden administration’s plan to forfeit the United States’ decision-making power over its healthcare policies to the World Health Organization (WHO), an organization Rep. Chip Roy’s office (R-TX) calls a “corrupt, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entity.”

In January 2021, Roy introduced HR 419, which seeks to end U.S. taxpayer funding of the WHO, an agency of the United Nations, but in recent days more lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors since proposed amendments by the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the WHO’s International Health Regulations, are scheduled to be voted upon May 22-28 at the World Health Assembly.

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Abortionist Accuses Rep. Chip Roy of ‘Inflammatory Language’ When He Describes What Actually Happens to an Unborn Baby During Abortion

Susan Berry, PhD

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on abortion rights, an abortionist accused Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) of using “inflammatory language” after he described the gruesome reality of what happens to an unborn baby during abortion.

Using the language of the abortion industry, Dr. Yashica Robinson, an at-large member of the board of directors of Physicians for Reproductive Health, said during the hearing she provides abortion “care” up “until 20 weeks gestational age.”

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Voter Reference Foundation’s Gina Swoboda: Clean Elections Depend on Clean Voter Rolls

Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed Gina Swoboda, the executive director of the Phoenix-based Voter Reference Foundation. The foundation, founded by Doug Truax, posts the voter rolls from the states, with the goal of having the rolls from all 50 states posted–consistent with the 1993 Motor Voter law.

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Arizona U.S. Senate Hopeful Jim Lamon: I Will Shut Down Senate Until Border Fixed

Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national editor of The Star News Network, covered the Sun City, Arizona, town hall hosted by Republican Senate hopeful Jim Lemon, with his special guest Thomas Homan, who was President Donald J. Trump’s acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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U.S. Senate Hopeful Lamon: I Would Not Have Voted to Certify Arizona’s Electors Jan. 6, 2021

Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed Arizona GOP Senate hopeful Jim Lamon after his town hall with supporters in Sun City. Lamon told TSNN he would not have voted to certify Arizona’s electors Jan. 6, 2021.

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Justice Thomas: ‘We Are in Danger of Destroying the Institutions Required for a Free Society’

The Center Square

It’s been two weeks and there’s still no word on who leaked the U.S. Supreme Court draft brief indicating that the court was set to overturn Roe V. Wade and returning the issue of abortion back to the states.

At a recent event in Dallas, Texas, hosted by the American Enterprise Institute, the Hoover Institution, and the Manhattan Institute, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke about the leak and his concern for the rule of law and credibility of the court.

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Planned Parenthood Leader Among Donors to Prosecutor Who Won’t Charge Protesters at Justices’ Homes

Virginia Star Staff

The political arm of the liberal legal group Demand Justice, which advocates packing the Supreme Court, contributed $5,000 last year to the campaign of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, who is among local prosecutors backed by liberal organizations tied to billionaire financier George Soros. 

Descano, a Democrat, has refused to prosecute some criminal offenses in his Northern Virginia jurisdiction, most recently taking no action against pro-abortion activists who rallied in front of the homes of Justices Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett to protest a pending Supreme Court ruling to end abortion on demand.

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Twitter Will Now Suppress ‘False’ and ‘Misleading’ Tweets Under ‘Crisis Misinformation’ Policy

Virginia Star Staff

Twitter announced Thursday that the company would be implementing a new policy for its users that would focus on making sure widespread “misinformation” was not amplified on the site during crises.

Tweets branded as misinformation during a crisis will be blocked out with a warning notice under the new “Crisis Misinformation Policy,” the blog post read. Twitter added that the policy would prioritize tweets with high exposure or from “high profile accounts.”

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Youngkin and Virginia Department of Education Release Report on Virginia’s Achievement Gaps

Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – Governor Glenn Youngkin’s education administration released a report on the heading of Virginia’s education. The release of the report is a major moment for Youngkin, who came to power riding a wave of parental frustration with education.

“Today is a moment in time for all of us to recognize we must change direction,” Youngkin said in the press conference. “We are not serving all of Virginia’s children and we must. We want to be the best in education. We should be the best in education. And the data that was compiled ans shared with you today suggests that we have a lot of work to do to be the best.”

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