Taxpayer-Funded Insurance Group Funneled Cash into Liberal Advocacy Groups

A taxpayer-funded health insurance exchange made donations to a number of liberal interest groups, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, CBS News reported.

Connect for Health made donations to left-of-center groups like the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Southern Colorado Equality Alliance, ProgressNow, Young Invincibles and The Steady, according to CBS. Two state lawmakers raised concerns about Connect for Health’s donations after a CBS News Colorado investigation exposed that the state-established nonprofit insurance exchange had been funding liberal political groups, the outlet reported.

Read More

Child Psychiatrist Sentenced to 40 Years for Using AI to Create Child Porn

A North Carolina child psychiatrist was sentenced to 40 years in prison followed by 30 years of supervised release after he was convicted of producing, transporting and possessing child pornography, at least some of which he generated through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Read More

University of North Dakota Hit with Civil Rights Complaints Alleging Tuition Programs Illegally Discriminate Based on Race

Two North Dakota higher education institutions were hit this week with civil rights complaints over tuition reduction programs open only to specific racial groups.

The Equal Protection Project (EPP) filed civil rights complaints against the University of North Dakota (UND) and UND School of Law for tuition reduction programs that are “only available to non-white applicants,” according to complaints obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. UND’s website cites the authority of North Dakota State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) policy that encourages institutions to use tuition waivers to “promote enrollment of a culturally diverse student body.”

Read More

Luxury EV Manufacturer Loses $227,000 on Each Car It Sells

A manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles (EVs) lost more than $227,000 on each car it sold in the third quarter.

Lucid Motors, headquartered in California, sells four EV models, ranging in price from $74,900 to $249,000, according to its website. The company reported a net loss of $630.9 million in the third quarter, excluding its overhead costs, which comes out to a loss of more than $227,000 on each car it sold, according to its financial filings and The Wall Street Journal’s calculations.

Read More

Pentagon Makes Plans for Nuclear Gravity Bomb with Bigger Bang

aerial view of The Pentagon

The Pentagon wants to build a bigger nuclear gravity bomb to provide the military with “more flexibility” in the nation’s nuclear stockpile. 

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced plans to pursue a modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, designated the B61-13. The move will require Congressional authorization and appropriation.

Read More

Poll: Americans Say Schools Should Focus on Math, Reading, and Writing

A large majority of voters say that public schools should focus on the basics – math, reading, writing, science and social studies – to improve the quality of public education in the country.

That’s according to the latest The Center Square’s Voters’ Voice poll conducted in late October in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights. The poll of 2,605 likely voters includes 1,035 Republicans, 1,074 Democrats, and 496 true Independents, and is among the most comprehensive in the country.

Read More

Higher Rates of Cancer Found Among Those Who Drank Contaminated Water at U.S. Military Base: Report

Military and civilian personnel who lived and worked at a contaminated military base developed cancer at an unusual rate, Reuters reported, citing an epidemiologist familiar with recent research by a U.S. health agency.

The study shows people stationed at the Marine Corps’ Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, came down with cancer at a higher rate than was previously known, Kenneth Cantor, a former National Cancer Institute epidemiologist who has read the study, told Reuters. It also showed that the base’s drinking water likely caused the cancers as the government already owes billions in compensation for former residents’ claims they were harmed from consuming poisoned water.

Read More

Experts Warn China’s Foray into the Middle East Could Isolate Taiwan from U.S. Forces

China President Xi Jinping

China is expanding its military presence in the Middle East, which could obstruct American forces in the region from mobilizing if Beijing decides to invade Taiwan, leaving the island with reduced defenses, according to foreign policy experts.

President Joe Biden was briefed Tuesday by his advisors on a Chinese plan to build a new military facility in Oman bordering the Arabian Sea, which would advance Beijing’s goal of increasing its Middle East and overseas presence, according to Bloomberg. By establishing military strong points in the Middle East, China can hinder and disrupt American forces in the region from mobilizing effectively and redirecting toward Taiwan if Beijing invades, which could leave the island with lesser defense capabilities, according to foreign policy experts.

Read More

YoungkinWatch: Virginia Republicans Reportedly Sought to Punish Governor’s House Ally over GOP Losses

Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates reportedly sought to strip the leadership position of Speaker Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandowoah) on Sunday for his failure to caution Governor Glenn Youngkin against fiercely campaigning on abortion, and for demanding Virginia legislators appear at political events they reportedly said were part of a last minute presidential bid for the governor.

At least three Republican delegates anonymously told The Washington Post they planned to punish Gilbert, who was described as a “key ally” of Youngkin in 2022, for pushing legislators to comply with Youngkin’s demands”to appear at Youngkin-led rallies and other events,” which the legislators told the Post “were primarily meant to promote his last-minute bid for president.”

Read More

Commentary: Mail Ballot Security Is Under Nationwide Assault

ballot drop box

The Left loves to tout universal mail-in voting. Liberal enclaves like California, Hawaii, and Oregon have implemented it, while activists push aggressively to impose mail-in voting on Americans. But even as they push it, despite repeated instances of fraud, the Left simultaneously attacks any efforts to make vulnerable mail voting more secure. Indeed, the Left holds outright disdain for even minimal safeguards for mail ballots.

Read More

Report: Mountain States Among ‘Most Free’ in North America

Mountain states rank among the “most free” in North America, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.

The Canadian think tank employs 10 variables for its Economic Freedom of North America 2023 reports and scores states based on categories such as government spending, taxes, labor market freedom, legal system and property rights, sound money, and freedom to trade internationally.

Read More

EU Moves Forward with Digital ID Despite Security Concerns and Potential for Abuse

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a final agreement this week on the establishment of “European Digital Identity Wallets,” the first central and fully digital identification system for all Europeans.

“Under the new law, the EU will offer its citizens so-called ‘digital wallets’—on a voluntary basis, at first—which will contain digital versions of their ID cards, driving licenses, diplomas, medical records, and bank account information,” the European Conservative reported.

Read More

Commentary: Masculine Men Are Women’s Unsung Heroes

Contemporary America is hounded by terms like “toxic masculinity,” “the patriarchy,” and “the male gaze.” Men all over the nation—indeed, the world—are lambasted daily by derogatory, angry media seeking to devalue and wipe out their nature.

I have a message for you: Don’t listen to it. Masculine men are the very thing we need—now more than ever in the battle of traditionalism versus progressivism. Though the media has attacked the vital value of gender itself, we know they’re wrong. We know male and female is how we’re made. Even now, traditional femininity is making a huge comeback across the internet. And what do we as traditional women most need?

Read More