Month: June 2023

The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to censure California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff after previously failing to do so in an earlier vote.

The lower chamber rebuked the California lawmaker by a narrow 213-209 vote. Florida GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna had introduced the plan, citing Schiff’s vocal support of the now-thoroughly debunked Trump-Russia collusion hoax.

There Are People in the FBI Who Believe Trump Is Hitler, Alan Dershowitz Says

Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz says that there are people in the FBI who believe that former President Donald Trump is equivalent to Adolf Hitler and are out to get him.

“There are patriots in the FBI who honestly believe that Donald Trump is Adolf Hitler, and anything, anything can be done to get him and that’s what’s destroying our civil liberties,” Dershowitz said on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show.

Whistleblower: Top FBI Official Made ‘Chilling’ Threat to Agents Questioning January 6 Cases

A top official with the FBI has filed a protected disclosure to the Office of the Inspector General alleging that FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate told the bureau’s internal critics of its Jan. 6-related cases to seek employment elsewhere and offered to personally address his subordinates’ agents concerns.

In a sworn affidavit, the 15-year veteran FBI special agent alleges that, during a routine meeting in February 2021, the deputy director addressed internal concerns that the bureau had not taken the same approach to its investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as it did with the 2020 riots and protests related to the death of George Floyd.

Former GOP Texas Rep William Hurd Announces Run for President

June 22, 2023 Admin

Former Republican Texas Rep. Will Hurd announced Thursday he’s running for president in 2024. Hurd, a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump, is the first Texan to enter the growing GOP primary field. The former congressman released an announcement video Thursday where he touched on illegal immigration and inflation, and argued that “Americans deserve better.”

Middle School Math Scores See Biggest Drop in 50 Years

June 22, 2023June 21, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Math test scores for 13-year-old students have plummeted by the largest drop ever recorded in 50 years, according to a Wednesday report.

Between 2020 and 2023, 13-year-old students’ math scores dropped nine points and the students’ reading scores dropped four points, according to test data from the National Center for Education Statistics, better known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” The latest set of data demonstrates the learning loss students have suffered as a result of education disruptions, such as remote schooling, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colorado Health Clinic Promoted Drag Story Hour to Kids with Autism

A Colorado health clinic that works with children who have autism promoted a Drag Story Hour event featuring adult drag queens performing for children, according to documents obtained by a parental rights’ group.

Seven Dimensions Behavioral Health uses Applied Behavior Analysis, a therapy used primarily with those who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), to work with patients of “all ages and diagnoses serving the Colorado front range.” The organization sent a May 16 email to parents advertising a Drag Story Hour for their children and promising that it would include a “mix of stories/activities and age appropriate performances by 5 drag artists.”

Seven Months After 2022 Elections, U.S. Counties Still Uncovering Election Day Problems

Following reviews over the past seven months on how their election departments administered the 2022 midterms, several counties across the U.S have found numerous issues that highlight processes and procedures that need to be addressed for future elections.

Such jurisdictions have conducted audits, reviews, or investigations to determine root causes. Several counties released the reviews in June, seven months after the elections occurred.

Court Rules Against Attempt to Force Religious Company to Violate Beliefs on Sexuality

A federal court of appeals ruled Tuesday that a religious management company was within its rights under the First Amendment to require employees adhere to its religious beliefs.

Braidwood Management Inc. and Bear Creek Bible Church filed a lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2018, but judgment was withheld until the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020 that LGBTQ employees could sue employers for discriminatory practices, according to the decision. Braidwood argued following the higher court’s decision that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prevents them from adhering to their religious beliefs, and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that “Title VII post-Bostock would substantially burden its ability to operate per its religious beliefs,” according to the decision.

Global Shipping Container Company Announces Virginia Expansion

June 22, 2023 The Center Square

A global shipping container company announced plans to expand its headquarters in Virginia with a $30 million investment.

ZIM American Integrated Shipping Services Company, a subsidiary of the publicly held international cargo shipping company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd, based in Israel, chose the Hampton Roads region to relocate and expand its U.S. headquarters.

Commentary: Decadent Elites Plunge America into Political Crisis

If the last seven years of constant anti-Trump intrigue have shown anything, it’s that America’s liberal so-called elites want to govern a certain way and will not tolerate being told otherwise. Given Donald Trump’s recent arrest, they could not make themselves any clearer apart from possibly having the man killed. If he goes to prison, he very well may die there.

These kinds of dramatic outcomes to political battles are supposed to be precluded in a government of consent, which allows for a peaceful transfer of power (another phrase, like Our Democracy™, that has been bastardized in the mouths of the elites). Uprisings, show trials, assassinations, and the like are not supposed to be necessary when the people can choose and remove their rulers.

Durham: Feds Had No Real Evidence to Investigate Russian Collusion, Monitor Trump Campaign

June 22, 2023 The Center Square

Former President Donald Trump has a slight lead against President Joe Biden in national polling even after being charged with 37 criminal counts in an indictment related to his handling of classified documents.

Real Clear Politics’ polling average has Trump ahead of Biden by 2.4 points in a general election matchup, showing that the federal indictment against Trump has so far not sunk his chances to return to the White House. In fact, it may have bolstered them.

Commentary: Hollywood Is Demoralizing Americans, One Story at a Time

As a young boy, I lived for a time under the rule of a totalitarian regime when visiting my parents’ homeland of Iran during the 1980s. It was only a few years after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, and the despotic new ruler, Ruhollah Khomeini, was investing heavily in his cultural propaganda machine. The Ayatollah’s dubious aim, like any new totalitarian, was to erase the proud culture of ancient Iran and replace it with one new and ideologically approved.

Feds Catch More than 450 Known, Suspected Terrorists in Nine Months, Most at Northern Border

There have been hundreds of known or suspected terrorists apprehended at the northern and southern borders in the current fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

As foreign nationals illegally enter the U.S. and are apprehended, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) agents screen them against a federal Terrorist Screening Dataset, which includes sensitive information about terrorist identities. It originated as a consolidated terrorist watch list “to house information on known or suspected terrorists, or KSTs, but has evolved over the last decade to include additional individuals who represent a potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watch-listed individuals,” CBP states.

Harvard Morgue Manager Charged in National Cadaver Trafficking Scandal

Harvard Medical School’s morgue manager and his wife have been indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing donated human remains from the institution and selling them in a national trafficking ring.

Over the course of 2018-2022, Cedric Lodge, the former Harvard morgue manager, and his wife, Denise, allegedly robbed the school of human remains, including bodies of stillborns that were intended to be cremated and returned to their families. The charges were officially announced on June 14.

Congress Prepares to Unseal Testimony, Evidence from IRS Whistleblower in Hunter Biden Case

June 21, 2023 Just the News

The House Ways and Means Committee took final steps Tuesday to release to the public as early as this week the testimony and evidence from an IRS whistleblower who alleges the Justice Department gave favorable treatment to Hunter Biden and engaged in political interference in the criminal tax case against the first son.

Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., scheduled an executive session for 8 a.m. Thursday where lawmakers are expected to vote to free the whistleblower evidence and testimony of IRS supervisory criminal agent Gary Shapley from the 6103 privacy requirements that normally shield Americans’ tax information from public disclosure.

Famous Rapper’s Attorney Rips DOJ for Letting Hunter Biden Walk on Crime While His Client Spent Years in Jail

The attorney for rapper Kodak Black blasted the Justice Department Tuesday over the plea deal reached with Hunter Biden, questioning whether there is “2 tiers of justice” in America’s legal system.

Black was sentenced to serve over three years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm in 2019, the same charge the younger Biden reached a plea agreement on Tuesday, Fox News reported. Biden will be put into a pre-trial diversion program on the gun charge, the Justice Department announced, although U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by then-President Donald Trump in 2017, said the investigation is still ongoing.

BlackRock Recruiter Says $10k ‘Can Buy a Senator,’ Calls Ukraine War ‘Good for Business’: Video

June 21, 2023 Just the News

A recruiter for BlackRock said that the asset management firm is able to “buy a senator” for $10,000 and that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “good for business,” according to a video recorded by an undercover journalist.

“You could buy your candidates. First, there is the senators. These guys are f***ing cheap. Got 10 grand? You can buy a senator. I’ll give you 500k right now. It doesn’t matter who wins, they’re in my pocket,” BlackRock Recruiter Serge Varlay said in a video published Tuesday by the O’Keefe Media Group, which was founded by guerilla journalist James O’Keefe.

State Bar of California Begins Trial to Disbar Trump’s Attorney John Eastman Over 2020 Election

June 21, 2023 Rachel Alexander

The State Bar of California (SBC) began a trial on Tuesday seeking to disbar conservative legal scholar John Eastman over his role advising former President Donald Trump and state legislatures on challenging the 2020 election results. The proceedings arose out of a complaint against him made by the States United Democracy Center (SUDC). SUDC is run by a former Obama appointee, Norm Eisen, and its advisory board includes former Arizona governor and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

The SBC charged Eastman with 11 ethics violations in January. Eastman filed a 100-page response containing thousands of attachments, and published a rebuttal on his Substack. He said the SBC’s complaint “is filled with distortions, half truths, and outright falsehoods.”

Biden Administration Backs Down from Forcing Religious Hospitals to Perform Gender Transition Procedures

June 21, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The Biden administration declined to appeal a federal court ruling that blocks the government from forcing religious doctors and faith-based hospitals to perform gender-transition procedures against their conscience and professional medical judgment. The administration’s decision not to appeal the federal court ruling in Sisters of Mercy v. Becerra to the U.S. Supreme Court by a June 20 deadline means its mandate will be laid to rest.

Satanic Temple to Host ‘Let Us Burn’ Events at State Capitols to Promote ‘Religious Liberty’

June 21, 2023June 20, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The Satanic Temple (TST) announced last week that it is raising money to host a “Let Us Burn” music tour at state capitols.

TST is looking to bring Satanic Planet, described as an “experimental avant industrial band,” to different states in the name of “religious liberty” and “pluralism,” according to the announcement. The tour is designed to specifically respond to Christian musician Sean Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” concert tour, which has performed in several state capitols.

Judge Sets Trial Date for Trump Classified Documents Case

June 21, 2023 The Center Square

A Florida Judge has set a trial date of Aug. 14 for former President Donald Trump in his ongoing case related to his handling of classified documents.

According to court filings made public Tuesday, District Judge Aileen Cannon set the trial date, giving two months time to prepare for the case. However, Trump’s team is expected to push to have that date delayed, likely successfully.

National Suicide Lifeline Struggling to Keep Up with Sheer Volume of Calls

Since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) underwent a significant makeover during the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, the new version of the hotline has been swamped with more calls than ever before.

As ABC News reports, part of the NSPL’s reforms included shortening the previous 10-digit number to the much simpler 9-8-8. The program also received an additional $200 million in funding as a result of the American Rescue Plan bill. The changes were made in response to a spike in mental health crises and suicides during the pandemic, when most Americans were forcibly locked down and forced to stay home from school, jobs, and other basic necessities for years.

Remote Workers Leaving Democratic Cities in Droves

A new study shows that employees who are still working remotely are actively fleeing Democrat-run cities in the thousands.

As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, the data from American Community Survey showed that a number of the largest cities in the country, all controlled by Democrats, continue to be the hardest-hit by an ongoing exodus of remote workers. The most severe net migration loss was in New York City, which lost approximately 116,000 remote employees. Los Angeles lost 53,000, while San Francisco saw an exodus of 32,000, and at least 29,000 left Chicago.

Biden Admin to Spend Nearly $1 Billion on Green Upgrades for Fed Buildings

The Biden administration will spend nearly $1 billion upgrading more than 100 federal buildings with green technology like heat pumps and solar panels, using funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

The General Services Administration (GSA) — which manages the U.S. government’s properties — is planning to make 100 federal facilities all-electric and 28 net-zero emissions, on a budget of $975 million, according to The Washington Post. The GSA is hoping that will attract roughly another $925 million in private sector investment, bringing total funding to roughly $1.9 billion, in an effort to revamp 40 million square feet of federal property, which is roughly 20% of all buildings managed by the GSA.

Virginia Senators Look to Permanently Expand Medicare Telehealth Services

June 21, 2023June 20, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to expand Medicare coverage of telehealth services and “make permanent telehealth flexibilities that were enacted during COVID.”

The federal government dictates how Medicare and self-insured plans cover telemedicine, whereas Medicaid and fully insured private plans fall within the purview of the states.

Commentary: The ‘Get Trump’ Games Continue

It all started with a self-important official at the National Archives and Records Administration. Or at least that’s the official story.

In May 2021, William Bosanko, NARA’s chief executive officer, noticed two presidential documents were missing from the Trump Administration: the letter Barack Obama wrote to Donald Trump and correspondence between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Commentary: The Problem with ‘Pride’ Month

June 21, 2023June 20, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Pride Month and the ubiquitous displays of rainbow colored flags as well as the concomitant ceremonies are puzzling practices to say the least. It is one thing not to be ashamed of one’s sexual orientation. But it is quite another to be proud of it.

How does emphasizing the differences between people benefit American society as a whole? Ordinarily, the response to criticisms of lauding pride in sexual orientation is to compare it to Black pride and the struggle to eliminate racism. But this raises the same questions. Should one really be proud of one’s race? Is it not pride that got us into the racism mess in the first place? The idea of proclaiming one race superior to others? So why extend this exaltation to sexual behaviors?

Commentary: A Heated Argument in the House Portends Good Results for the Budget

“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” Bishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa, 2004.

I must’ve used this quote a thousand times (primarily mitigating fights between contentious children of different ages) without even realizing its origin. I’ve often wondered why emotion-driven youths (and big people, too) simply amp up the volume when intellectually dueling with others rather than maintaining the discussion at an even keel and perhaps lulling their opponents into listening to what they’re saying – or screaming even louder.

U.S. Treasury Dept. Announces Sanctions on Mexican Migrant-Trafficking Gang

June 21, 2023 ADN America

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions against a migrant-trafficking gang based in Mexico that has operated since at least 2018.

The Hernandez Salas organization, based in the border city of Mexicali, Mexico, across the border from Calexico, California, has organized travel for countless migrants seeking to cross into the United States, the Treasury Dept. said in a statement.

American Medical Student Association Indoctrinates Students with Radical Gender Theory

The American Medical Student Association is indoctrinating medical students into radical gender ideology through its educational resources.

The AMSA’s Gender and Sexuality Action Committee “is dedicated to combating sexism and heterosexism, and to assuring equal access to medical care and equality within medical education.”

Johns Hopkins Takes Down LGBTQ Glossary After backlash, Says ‘Lesbian’ Definition Was ‘Not Approved’

Johns Hopkins University has taken down its “LGBTQ Glossary” after backlash erupted against its definition of “lesbian.”

The glossary of LGBTQ terms was posted on the webpage of the Gender and Sexuality Resources office at Johns Hopkins’ Diversity and Inclusion department. The glossary defined lesbian as a “non-man attracted to non-men.” But after fierce backlash on social media, the office took down the glossary, claiming that the definition was not approved.

Another Top Official to Leave Biden’s DHS: Report