July 2, 2023 - The Virginia Star

The 2024 Election Could Come Down to These Four States

July 2, 2023July 2, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The upcoming presidential election could potentially come down to Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin, according to the Sabato’s Crystal Ball 2024 Electoral College predictions released Thursday.

The nonpartisan report, facilitated by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, labels the four states as “toss-ups” based on the 2020 election and 2022 midterms. The 2024 landscape slightly favors the Democrats and will likely be another matchup between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, according to the report.

New Laws Take Effect in Virginia

July 2, 2023July 2, 2023 The Center Square

July 1 marks the start of a new fiscal year for Virginia, which means many bills passed during the legislative session take effect today. Here are some new laws in the commonwealth.

Texas Abortion Ban Leads to Additional 10,000 Births, Paper Concludes

July 2, 2023 Just the News

An abortion ban in the state of Texas has led to nearly 10,000 additional live births in the state, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimate.

Between April and December of 2022, the researchers conclude that the state witnessed 9,799 additional births that would not have been occurred but for the existence of the state’s abortion ban, the researchers concluded. The state’s previous law allowed abortion up to 22 weeks of gestation, while the current legislation prohibits abortion on detection of embryonic cardiac activity, i.e. the detection of a fetal heartbeat. This can occur as early as 5-6 weeks into pregnancy.

Supreme Court Expands Degree to Which Businesses Must Accommodate Religious Workers

July 2, 2023 The Center Square

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday to expand the degree to which businesses have to accommodate workers for religious purposes.

In the case, Groff v. DeJoy, Postmaster General, the court found that postman Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian, should not have been disciplined for refusing to work on Sundays for religious reasons. The majority opinion cited Title VII’s requirement to accommodate employees for religious purposes provided it does not cause the employer “undue hardship.”

Study: Biden Regulations Costing Average American Household $10,000

July 2, 2023July 1, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

A new study reveals that the average American household has lost at least $10,000 due to various new regulations implemented by the Biden Administration.

As reported by Fox News, the study was conducted by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, a conservative economics group, and was authored by Casey Mulligan, an economics professor at the University of Chicago. According to the study, the rate of new regulations being enacted by the Biden Administration has already surpassed the pace of new regulations under the Obama Administration.

Lumber Company Expanding in Southwest Virginia

July 2, 2023July 1, 2023 The Center Square

Southwestern Virginia is set to benefit from a $7.5 million expansion of Musser Biomass and Wood Products, bringing new, high-paying jobs to the area and more than doubling its production of dried hardwood chips and sawdust.

Musser’s parent company, Musser Lumber Company, has contributed to the Wythe County economy since 1968 when it was founded, and today has customers across the country and worldwide. The company specializes in preparing hardwood lumber for flooring and paneling, and sources lumber from dozens of regional sawmills.

Commentary: The Case for Impeaching Joe Biden

July 2, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

When I defended former President Trump against a Democratic effort to impeach and remove him on grounds that I believe are unconstitutional, I predicted that when the Republicans gained control of the House, they would use that precedent as a justification for trying to impeach the next Democratic president.

Sure enough, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has introduced articles of impeachment that replicated what the Democrats had done just three and a half years earlier.

GOP Rep Introduces Bill to Counter Congolese Child Mines, Chinese Influence in Minerals

July 2, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey introduced legislation Friday which would ban imports containing key minerals extracted by child labor in Congolese mines and counter Chinese control of the global critical minerals supply.

The Countering China’s Exploitation of Strategic Metals and Minerals and Child and Forced Labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo Act would prohibit the importation of all products containing cobalt and lithium extracted by child miners and victims of labor trafficking in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a press release from Smith’s office. The rare minerals are crucial ingredients for the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), a key pillar of President Joe Biden’s larger green energy agenda.

Commentary: Dear America, The Intelligence Community Isn’t Your Friend

July 2, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The intelligence agencies have been in the news a lot lately — and not because they deserve praise. Recently, the FBI refused for weeks to provide the House Oversight Committee with a document that alleges a bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden during his time serving as vice president.

To avoid a contempt of Congress hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray decided, at the last minute, to allow the committee’s members to view the document in question.

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