Month: November 2023

RFK Jr. Pulls Massive Support in Battleground States: Poll

Virginia Star Staff

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secured a large portion of the vote in six key swing states against former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for 2024, according to a Sunday poll.

Kennedy, who recently left the Democratic Party, won over 20% support in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as 24% across all six states compared to Trump’s 35% and Biden’s 33%, accordingto a New York Times/Sienna College poll released Nov. 5. Though Kennedy didn’t secure enough support to win any of the battlegrounds, his candidacy led to the president narrowly winning only one state, the former president winning three and Biden and Trump tying in two.

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Food Insecurity on the Rise During Food Stamp Funding Debate

The Center Square

A recent federal report shows food insecurity is on the rise in the U.S. while some organizations are pushing to increase the amount for food stamp benefits for families.

The Farm Bill that currently funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has ended, leaving negotiations to continue. SNAP was formerly known as the food stamp program.

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NASCAR Accused of Discriminating Against White Men with Diversity Hiring Efforts

Virginia Star Staff

The iconic National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, NASCAR, has been accused of intentionally discriminating against White men through its efforts to hire more “diverse” drivers and pit crew workers.

As reported by the New York Post, a petition was filed on Thursday by America First Legal (AFL), the conservative legal group run by former Trump Administration advisor Stephen Miller, calling for an investigation into NASCAR by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The petition accuses NASCAR of “illegal discrimination against White, male Americans.”

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Analysis: New Polling Finds Trump’s Lead Jumps to 5 Points in a Four-Way Race as Calls for Biden to Step Aside Rise

Virginia Star Staff

Former President Donald Trump continues to press his advantage against incumbent President Joe Biden in the latest HarrisX-Messenger poll, 51 percent to 49 percent, a lead that jumps to five points when Robert Kennedy, Jr. and Cornell West are included in the mix, with Trump garnering 41 percent, Biden 36 percent, Kennedy 11 percent and West 2 percent.

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Biden IRS Launches Audit Into Conservative Org That Helped Tank Nominees for Key Administration Posts

Virginia Star Staff

The IRS is investigating the tax-exempt status of the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) following its reporting on President Joe Biden’s nominees, several of whom withdrew their nominations, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The IRS is requesting AAF submit internal financial data as well as communications, including meeting notes, publications and newsletters, according to the letter from the IRS to AAF obtained by the DCNF. The conservative nonprofit organization, which the IRS approved for tax-exempt status in August 2021, alleges the investigation is in retaliation for the AAF reporting on several recent Biden nominees who later withdrew their nominations.

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Former Trump Official Ric Grenell Sues Biden Admin Over ‘Expert Advisory Committee’ with Members Who Signed Hunter Biden Laptop Letter

Virginia Star Staff

Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell along with America First Legal are suing the Biden administration, according to a copy of the lawsuit first obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the formation of the “expert” board to address issues of national security in September to include Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former CIA Operations Officer Paul Kolbe, who all signed an October 2020 letter casting doubt on the legitimacy of the Hunter Biden laptop and suggesting its release was a Russian disinformation ploy. The latest legal action alleges that the group’s creation was done in an illegal manner and that it lacks credible members, according to the copy of the lawsuit.

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CBS News’ ’60 Minutes’ Omits Key Facts, Makes Incorrect Statements Covering the Lawfare Against Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman

Rachel Alexander

The television news magazine show 60 Minutes aired a story on CBS Sunday about the lawfare against Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman, which repeated much of the mainstream media’s talking points about his legal advice to Trump regarding the illegal activity in the 2020 election.

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In Battle for Control of Virginia Legislature, Republicans Test New Commitment to Early Voting

Just the News

Early voting has become a central issue in the Virginia legislature election, which is set to conclude on Tuesday and determine whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will have a Republican majority to pass legislation.

The state Senate is currently controlled by Democrats, 22-18, with the state House controlled by Republicans, after winning 52 seats in 2021 to Democrats’ 48, according to Ballotpedia. Republicans gained control of the state House in 2021, when Youngkin won the governorship, Winsome Earle-Sears won the election for lieutenant governor, and Jason Miyares won the attorney general race.

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Commentary: Elites Are Confounded by Populist Sentiment and Surprised Their Failures Are Fueling Their Ouster

Virginia Star Staff

American populism’s rise is directly connected to the failures of our self-styled elites.  American elites have in numerous instances missed the coming of important crises, some of which they have caused. Average Americans have borne the brunt of these crises.  Today’s populist rise is simply the people’s recognition of the elites’ hypocrisy and culpability in what they have had to endure.

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Victor Davis Hanson Commentary: The Jumbled Mindset of American Antisemites

Virginia Star Staff

Peruse campus literature. Watch clips from university protests. Scan interviews with pro-Hamas protestors. Read the chalk propaganda sketched on campus sidewalks. Talk to raging students in the free speech area. And the one common denominator— besides their arrogance—is their abject ignorance.

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Proposed SEC Climate Disclosure Rule Will Add Costs That Consumers Will Bear, Critics Warn

Just the News

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) has been slammed with comments from supporters and critics of its proposed climate disclosure rule.

The release of the final rule has been continually delayed, but its publication is anticipated in the next few months. Congressional Democrats are urging for it to be done sooner rather than later.

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The Cost of Covering American Roads with EVs Is Raising Some Big Speed Bumps

Just the News

With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, the federal government boosted tax credits, hoping to help American consumers wary of the higher sticker prices for electric vehicles (EVs) to warm up to them. In a further push, in May of this year, the EPA proposed emissions standards on new vehicles that are designed to make 60% of all new vehicle sales to be electric powered by 2030.

The automotive industry responded eagerly to the push for EVs, pledging to transform large portions of their business over to electric lines. A Reuters analysis in October 2022 estimated that 37 global automakers were planning $1.2 trillion in investments in EVs, batteries and materials for the transition through 2030.

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Virginia Rep. Introduces Bill That Prevents Federal Funds from Going to Biden’s Top Climate Programs

Virginia Star Staff

Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia introduced a bill on Friday that would prevent the use of federal funds on two of President Joe Biden’s top climate programs, according to a copy of the bill obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The No American Climate Corps Act would prohibit the Biden administration from deploying federal funds to bankroll the American Climate Corps program and the Justice40 Initiative; both programs are signature elements of Biden’s sweeping climate agenda. The American Climate Corps is a green jobs training program, while the Justice40 Initiative fuses principles of social justice into the administration’s massive green spending, establishing an administration-wide goal to have 40% of the overall benefits of climate spending flow to “disadvantaged communities.”

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Converting Parking Lots to Homeless Encampments Brings Mixed Results

The Center Square

As municipalities across the United States consider acquiring and converting parking lots into homeless encampments with social services, some oppose the programs, citing high costs and poor safety, while others promote them as better than sidewalk encampments and a stopgap measure as more overall housing is built.

In California, whose homelessness programs serviced 315,487 different individuals in 2022, faces a 4.5 million home shortage and is adopting alternative housing options that states and local governments across the country are now considering and implementing on their own. One such program is the conversion of parking lots to homeless housing options, whether so-called “safe sleeping sites” where homeless can park their cars or set up tents and receive services, or more involved accommodations such as city-provided RVs. 

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Commentary: Corporate Big-Mouths at Coca-Cola and Delta Wouldn’t Shut Up About George Floyd but When It Comes to Hamas – Crickets

Virginia Star Staff

When radicals used the sad death of fentanyl addict and opioid abuser George Floyd to burn down America’s cities in summer 2020, they earned nothing but praise from many of our country’s biggest corporations.

Overnight, America’s corporate giants became footsoldiers in the Left’s “woke” revolution, tut-tutting their customers’ LGBTQ “microaggressions,” pouring millions of dollars into the Marxist-led Black Lives Matter, and condemning the “systemic racism” of the country that birthed them.

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The Battle for Virginia: Youngkin, Obama Struggle for Control of Old Dominion

Neil W. McCabe

The future of the Commonwealth of Virginia hangs in the balance as Democrats, backed by former President Barack Obama, are desperate to stop Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin from winning the state government trifecta, control of both chambers of the General Assembly in addition to governor’s office—all coming to a head on the November 7 Election Day.

“I’m calling to remind you that today is Election Day in Virginia. The people we elect in the State Senate and House of Delegates will make decisions that affect your everyday life. Now’s the time to make our voices heard,” said Obama in one of the robocalls he recorded for Virginia Democrats to target some 100,000 Democratic voters.

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Commentary: Finding Common Ground Through Empathy

Virginia Star Staff

While liberals tend to view conservatives as cold-hearted, rule-bound, and self-interested, right-wingers often consider left-wingers irrational, sensitive, and destructive. Both characterizations, are, of course, exaggerations, and they fail to recognize the political common ground of human empathy and compassion.

In the far-off days before he was famous, Jordan Peterson, along with some colleagues, published research showing that personality traits strongly predict political belief. According to the study, left-wingers tend to be higher in traits related to compassion and the desire for equality, while right-wingers tend to be higher in traits related to orderliness and concern for social norms. While no one’s political beliefs are predetermined merely by psychology, temperament may dispose an individual toward a certain political position. This is especially helpful to remember when trying to understand people with differing political beliefs from one’s own.

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Watchdog: Afghanistan Has Received $11 Billion in Aid from U.S. Since Withdrawal

Virginia Star Staff

A new watchdog report reveals that the country of Afghanistan has received a staggering $11 billion in foreign aid from the United States since the country’s collapse in August of 2021.

As Breitbart reports, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko, issued his report on Monday. Sopko says that the U.S. and its allies have been sending “cash shipments” of about $80 million to Afghanistan “every 10-14 days” since the Taliban took over the country shortly before the withdrawal of all American forces.

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Poll: Most Americans Believe A.I. Will Lead to More Misinformation in 2024

Virginia Star Staff

A new poll released on Friday shows that a majority of Americans believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to more misinformation being spread on the Internet during the 2024 presidential election.

According to The Hill, the poll from AP-NORC and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy found that 58% of Americans believe AI will lead to an increase in election misinformation. Among respondents who said they have “heard a lot or some about AI” 61% believed in the threat of more misinformation.

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Massachusetts Mayor Candidate’s Campaign Accused of Voter Fraud, Allegedly Paid Residents for Votes

Just the News

The election campaign for a Massachusetts mayoral candidate is facing allegations of bribing residents to vote.

Election officials for the city of Springfield say they witnessed voters being brought to the city hall for early voting and that at least some expected cash after they voted for Democrat candidate Justin Hurst, according to local news outlet The Republican.

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House GOP Crafting Major FISA Reform to Block Snooping on Americans’ Phone Records Without Warrants

Just the News

House Judiciary Committee Republicans are pressing ahead with sweeping reforms to the government’s FISA surveillance powers that among other things would would prohibit the FBI from searching through Americans’ phone records without a court-approved warrant.

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Abortion Looms Large in Virginia’s General Election

The Center Square

The issue of abortion has loomed large in this year’s General Assembly general election, as Virginia is the only state in the South not to impose additional restrictions on abortion after the release of the Dobbs decision.

As Virginia has a chance of a Republican trifecta after Nov. 7, Democrats this election season have captured national attention as they fight to preserve abortion freedoms in the state. 

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Biden Mandates A.I. Advance ‘Equity and Civil Rights’

The Center Square

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order requiring that Artificial Intelligence technology advance “equity and civil rights.”

Biden signed the order this week, putting more regulatory guidance in place for A.I., a rapidly developing technology that some experts warn could be used for harm for everyday Americans.

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Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Pauses Trump Gag Order

Virginia Star Staff

A federal appeals court temporarily paused the gag order against former President Donald Trump in his 2020 election case on Friday.

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia temporarily paused the order issued Oct. 17 by District Judge Tanya Chutkan to allow time to consider Trump’s request for a longer freeze on its enforcement pending appeal. The court ordered Trump’s appeal to be expedited, requesting briefing from Trump’s legal team by Nov. 8 and scheduling oral arguments for Nov. 20.

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Commentary: If Public Education Were a Business, It Would Be Bankrupt

Virginia Star Staff

There has been, for some time now, optimism about a post-Covid recovery for American public school students, but sadly, there is no good news to be had.

Looking through a long lens, government-run education has been an enterprise rife with failure. The National Commission on Excellence in Education released a report in 1983 titled “A Nation at Risk,” which used dire language, asserting that “the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people.”

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Battle for Virginia: Youngkin Touts GOP Early Voting Success

Neil W. McCabe

Virginia’s Republican governor touted how the commonwealth’s Republican voters are shattering records set in 2021 and 2023 in early voting before the commonwealth’s November 7 Election Day, when all 140 seats in both chambers of the General Assembly are up for grabs.

“There was a lot of people who voted early and across the state. We’ve seen an uptick in early voting and absentee ballot, and particularly in our battleground districts, we’ve seen a really good movement,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin, speaking to Fox News Digital on Friday.

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Commentary: Biden Plans to Vastly Expand ‘Refugee’ Applicants to Circumvent Border Crisis

Virginia Star Staff

While there is a dearth of data showing the border crisis is costing Biden heavily in polls, Biden’s plan to dramatically expand immigration and resettle record-breaking numbers of individuals from Latin America through the refugee program is wildly out of step with public opinion.  

Not only have the massive spikes in illegal border crossings strained border patrol resources and posed threats to national security, but the Biden Administration’s response is to vastly expand the number of individuals entering the U.S. under the refugee program.

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Commentary: A Reckoning Is Coming for the Failing Energy Transition

Virginia Star Staff

It didn’t make a ton of news in the United States media, but a new study published by the International Energy Agency in mid-October emphasizes the enormous potential roadblock to a successful energy transition posed by a projected need to refurbish and double capacity on global electricity grids.

The study, titled, “Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions,” advises governments that investments in expanding and refurbishing power grids must “nearly double by 2030 to over USD 600 billion per year after over a decade of stagnation at the global level, with emphasis on digitalising and modernising distribution grids.” That level of new investment in just this single piece of the overarching plans for a complete re-tooling of the global energy system is not currently a part of existing policies around the world. Given that most developed countries are already saddled with overwhelming public debt and the lack of means in developing countries, the prospect for a doubling of current grid investments seems dubious at best.

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Group Sues Biden Administration for Information on Alaska Oil Drilling

The Center Square

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation filed a court action Tuesday against the Biden administration, claiming they have failed to respond properly to a request for information on oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Trump administration approved the oil and drilling leases in January 2021, shortly before the former president left office. The Biden administration canceled them last month, citing concerns about climate change.

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Infant Death Rate Increases for First Time in Two Decades

The Center Square

The rate of infants dying in the U.S. increased for the first time in two decades, raising concerns about infant and maternal health across the country. 

The infant mortality rate for the United States rose 3% from 2021 to 2022, the first year-to-year increase in the rate since 2001 to 2002, according to figures the National Center for Health Statistics released Wednesday. The provisional report does not explain why infant deaths increased and said more research was needed.

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