Month: December 2023

Former President Donald Trump released a television ad called “A Christmas to Remember,” which is airing in the early presidential nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Biden’s Security Policies Raise Fears of Global Economic Meltdown as Commerce Halted by Unrest

The Biden administration’s security policies are raising the risk of a global economic crisis as Iran’s backing of the Houthi rebels threatens to shut down international shipping while closures at the U.S.-Mexico border prompted by illegal immigration are costing billions of dollars in trade.

The Biden administration “continues to try to make nice with this regime that has been chanting ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ for more than 40 years,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates, currently a Heritage Foundation national security expert, told the Just the News, No Noise television show last week about the White House’s relationship with Iran.

va Top Story: Biden Admin Doles Out $600 Million to Activist Groups, Universities for ‘Environmental Justice’

December 25, 2023December 24, 2023 Admin

Biden Admin Doles Out $600 Million to Activist Groups, Universities for ‘Environmental Justice’

December 25, 2023December 24, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration is shelling out $600 million in taxpayer funds to grantmaking organizations to distribute for “environmental justice” projects all across the country, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday.

The funds will go to 11 different organizations, which include universities and left-wing groups that focus on advancing social justice causes in addition to their environmental advocacy, according to the EPA’s announcement. Each of the recipients will in turn use the money to provide sub-grants to local organizations to pursue thousands of “environmental justice” projects like environmental jobs training programs and “healthy homes” initiatives.

Top Commentary: President Trump’s Plan to Save America’s Cities

December 25, 2023 Admin

University with Gender Clinic Funds Study to See if Puberty Blockers Causes ‘Lasting’ Brain Changes for Kids

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) approved a $600,000 grant for a study hypothesizing that puberty blockers used on children will lead to “lasting changes” in the brain, according to documents obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

In 2018, an American Academy of Pediatrics committee, which included a member of UW’s faculty, released a policy on transgender hormone treatments claiming that the effects of puberty blockers are reversible, a claim that has since been widely echoed by trans advocates. The university’s gender clinic already offers hormones to minors, but new documents obtained by the DCNF reveal that the study, which was approved for a $600,000 grant in July, hypothesizes that “short-term” transgender treatments will have “lasting changes” on the brain, internal organs and behavior.

Think Tank Looks to Lasso ‘Deep State’ by Recruiting Conservatives to Work in Government

The prominent conservative think tank Heritage Foundation has launched a major initiative titled “Project 2025” to rein in the federal bureaucracy by recruiting patriotic Americans to staff the next conservative administration.

“You just don’t have enough time after the election to put together the government,” Heritage Foundation Executive Vice President Derrick Morgan said on “The Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Presidential Transition Project Special Report” hosted by John Solomon and premiered on Real America’s Voice.

TSNN Featured: Arizona Parents Want New DCS Unit to Track Missing Children After Five Children Disappear from Foster Care

December 25, 2023 Admin

Power Grid Watchdog Warns of Future Blackouts, Need for Natural Gas to Support Renewables

The watchdog overseeing the North American power grid warns that the combination of rapid retirement of coal-fired electricity generation and the increasing reliance on wind and solar are risking large swaths of the United States with blackouts during heat waves and cold snaps.

“This assessment provides clear evidence of growing resource adequacy concerns over the next 10 years,” the latest report states. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) produces annual long-term assessments of potential electricity shortfalls over the next decade. In its latest long-term assessment published Wednesday, NERC stated that a priority action to ensure more grid reliability is increasing natural gas supply infrastructure.

America Is Undergoing a Massive Population Shift

Democrat-run states are still losing population, new Census Bureau data reveal, a development that could have electoral implications when the government reapportions congressional districts in 2030.

Oregon, California, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania, all states with Democratic governors and Democrat-controlled state legislatures, lost between 0.01% and 0.52% of their population between July 2022 and July 2023, according to the Census Bureau. Left-leaning states experienced similar declines in the lead-up to the 2020 Census, which led to them losing seats in the House of Representatives and votes in the Electoral College, an outcome that could occur again in 2030 if current trends persist.

Commentary: President Trump’s Plan to Save America’s Cities

December 25, 2023 RealClearWire

With all the devastating news about urban crime, drug overdoses, illegal immigration, rampant homelessness, out-of-control budgets, and educational failures, it is encouraging that President Donald Trump has committed his next administration to a saving America’s cities.

As Just the News reported, “With the nation’s first primary state as a backdrop, former President Donald Trump took aim Saturday at Democrats’ urban strongholds, vowing to both secure and revitalize blue cities weary from years of violence and economic decay.”

Virginia Democrats Propose Bill Increasing Penalties for Gun Owners in Cases of Minors Committing Crimes

December 25, 2023 Tom Pappert

Two Virginia Democrats in the State Senate introduced legislation on Tuesday to increase penalties for gun owners in cases of minors committing crimes, with even higher punishments if the adult knew the minor offender was previously charged with a violent crime.

Virginia State Senator-elect Schuyler Vanvalkenburg (D-Henrico) and Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SB 44 to amend the Code of Virginia to make it a Class 1 misdemeanor, “If the owner of a firearm allows a minor to possess his firearm and such a minor” takes the firearm to a school zone or gun-free zone, or uses the firearm “to intentionally or with gross negligence cause bodily injury to himself or another person.”

Commentary: Netflix and the Erasure of History

“Trust should not be doled out easily to anyone, especially white people.”
– Excerpt from “Leave the World Behind,” released on Netflix December 8, 2023

Commentary: The Gift of Christmas Is Hope Through Sacrifice

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (KJV)

We thought about and were well on the way to drafting a much different column for this Christmas – Biden Outdoes The Grinch seemed apropos to this season of economic distress and discontent. But in looking through past Christmas columns we ran across one of our columns from 2019, entitled “The Gift of Christmas is Fulfilled at Easter” and we were brought back to the recognition that no Christian should be bitter on Christmas, because if there is one day of the year that is to be dedicated to hope it is Christmas and the anniversary of the birth of Our Savior.

Federal ‘Home Visiting’ Program Classifies Parents Who Don’t Let Young Kids Cross-Dress as Potentially Abusive

A federally funded “home visiting” program advises service providers to watch for signs of abuse against “gender-diverse children,” citing parents who deny their young child the “right” to cross-dress as an example, a document shows.

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program is intended to combat abuse and neglect while promoting “positive parenting” and school readiness among “pregnant people and families” with young children who are at-risk for “poor maternal and child health outcomes,” according to its website. The guidance offered to government workers who visit homes at the request of families categorizes steering a child away from “gender expression” that does not correspond with his or her biological sex as abuse.

Pro-Palestinian Protest Disrupts Christmas in San Francisco: ‘No Xmas as Usual’

Breitbart News A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to disrupt Christmas weekend shopping in San Francisco’s Union Square on Saturday in the latest attack on the Christian holiday, seen by radical leftists as an example of bourgeois complacency. The San Francisco Chronicle reported: Hundreds of protesters gathered among holiday crowds in San…

Top Story: CCP-Tied Firm Slated to Build Massive Facility near Sensitive U.S. Military Sites

Top Commentary: Trump’s Margin Widens in Battlegrounds and Gets Boost from Voters Who Sat Out 2020 in Two States

CCP-Tied Firm Slated to Build Massive Facility near Sensitive U.S. Military Sites

December 24, 2023December 23, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The Chinese parent of a firm slated to develop a manufacturing facility near several Midwest military bases has extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation based on research conducted by The Heritage Foundation Oversight Project and Heritage Action.

Cnano Technology USA Inc. (Cnano USA) plans to invest in a 333,000-square-foot facility in Johnson County, Kansas, that will manufacture liquid conductive paste for electric vehicle batteries and other devices, according to an August announcement from the Kansas City Area Development Council, which partnered with the state and other parties to attract the firm to Kansas. Cnano USA’s $95 million facility will be built approximately 35 miles from Fort Leavenworth, and 70 miles from the “only operational base for the B-2,” Whiteman Air Force Base.

TSNN Featured: Select New Documentary ‘State of Denial’ Goes over Election Illegalities in Maricopa County’s 2022 Election, Reveals ‘Intentional Conduct to Sabotage the Election’

Commentary: Trump’s Margin Widens in Battlegrounds and Gets Boost from Voters Who Sat Out 2020 in Two States

Former President Donald Trump’s lead against President Joe Biden has widened in the latest poll of seven battleground states, with the latest Morning Consult poll showing Trump beating Biden by five percentage points, 47% to 42%. This is a slightly wider lead than Trump had over Biden in swing state polling conducted in early November that showed Trump ahead of Biden by four percentage points, 44% to 48%.

Meanwhile, new polling conducted for CNN by SSRS shows Trump’s margins widening specifically in Michigan and Georgia, buoyed by voters who sat out the 2020 election but plan to vote in 2024.

Commentary: Advent and Christmas at the Vatican

December 24, 2023 RealClearWire

When I was a child, my parents and I would attend Christmas Eve Mass at St. John’s Catholic Church in Whitehall, Wisconsin. When we got home, my father and I would watch the replay of Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican on television. After watching the beautiful Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, we would say to each other, “One day, we’ll go there together!”

Sadly, my father and mother were never able to make the trip to the Vatican. However, as the former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, I was blessed to attend Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s on several occasions. And each time, I brought the memory of my parents with me.

DOJ Charges Two in Scheme to Supply Iran with Military Technology

The Justice Department announced charges against two men in a scheme to supply electronic technology to Iran, according to multiple media outlets.

Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and Gary Lam were indicted in September 2020 on charges of conspiracy to provide Iran with microelectronic technology to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Agence France-Presse reported. The pair, who made the purchases in 2014 and 2015, allegedly used front companies to carry out their plot, according to ABC News.

Commentary: Neuroscientist Explains How to Listen to Your Hunger During the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us, and with it, opportunities to indulge in festive treats. The proverbial saying “you eat with your eyes first” seems particularly relevant at this time of year.

The science behind eating behavior, however, reveals that the process of deciding what, when and how much to eat is far more complex than just consuming calories when your body needs fuel. Hunger cues are only part of why people choose to eat. As a scientist interested in the psychology and biology that drives eating behavior, I’m fascinated with how the brain’s experiences with food shape eating decisions.

Feds Raise Concerns over New Pathway Fueling Migrant Crisis

U.S. officials are encountering an increasing number of migrants from the African nation of Senegal who are taking advantage of a new pathway to reach the southern border, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday.

There are groups posing as travel agencies in the capital of Senegal that help migrants get to the U.S.-Mexico border by obtaining a visa to travel through the European Union, the spokesperson said. Border Patrol had more than 23,000 migrants in custody as of Tuesday evening, according to internal agency data obtained by the DCNF.

Commentary: Don’t Let the Grinches Steal Your Christmas

This Christmas season, the grinches are staying busy as usual.

There’s the usual crew who annually devote themselves to debunking the season, flailing away at everything from a babe born in a manger to the season’s extravagant buying and selling to taking offense when someone says, “Merry Christmas!” In Iowa, Satanists have honed in on the holiday, setting up a now-torn-down display in the state capitol in the name of “religious pluralism.” Pro-Palestinian protests occurred at the annual lighting of Christmas trees in places around the country, including New York’s Rockefeller Center and Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Illegal Immigrant Who Raped Ohio Woman Claims He Was ‘Possessed by a Demon’

December 23, 2023December 23, 2023 Admin

New York Post A Nicaraguan man who was deported from the US five times has been sentenced to 19 years behind bars for raping an Ohio woman — claiming that he committed the depraved act because he was “possessed by a demon.” German Mathews, 40, pulled his hoodie over his…

IRS Rakes in Record $4.9 Trillion in Taxes from Americans Amid Enforcement Crackdown

The Epoch Times The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) raked in a record $4.9 trillion in taxes from Americans in the last fiscal year, due in large part to automated collections processes and aggressive audits that saw taxpayers hit with billions in additional taxes after examination. The Treasury Inspector General for…

Top Story: Pro-Palestinian Vandals Desecrate Cherished Nativity Scene in Boston

Top Commentary: Trump Should Love the Colorado Ruling

Pro-Palestinian Vandals Desecrate Cherished Nativity Scene in Boston

December 23, 2023December 22, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Pro-Palestinian vandals graffitied a nativity scene in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday, according to the Boston Police Department (PD).

Boston PD responded to a call on Thursday morning alerting them that a nativity scene at the Boston Common City park had been vandalized, an officer told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Police arrived on scene to find the base of the nativity scene graffitied with white paint that wrote out “Jesus was Palestinian,” according to the Boston Herald.

TSNN Featured: Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon Expects ‘Absurd’ Move to Strike Trump from Colorado Ballot to Energize Republican Voters

Federal Judge Rejects Bid to Remove Trump from West Virginia Ballot

A federal judge rejected a bid Thursday to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot in West Virginia.

Obama-appointed District Judge Irene Berger ruled that John Anthony Castro, the little-known presidential candidate who brought the lawsuit to remove Trump, lacked standing to sue. The decision comes days after Colorado’s Supreme Court found Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, likely setting up Supreme Court review of the issue.

Border Patrol Chiefs Confirm ‘Illegal Aliens Spread the Word the Border Is Open’

December 23, 2023 The Center Square

As part of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security’s investigation into the “dereliction of duty” of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, it and members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability conducted interviews with eight U.S. Border Patrol chief patrol agents and one deputy chief patrol agent.

The interviews were conducted to obtain more information about operations in their sectors as part of the committee’s ongoing investigation “into the causes, costs, and consequences of the unprecedented crisis at America’s borders, and the role of Secretary Mayorkas in facilitating and maintaining this crisis.”

Records Show President Biden Emailed Hunter Biden’s Business Associate 54 Times in 2014

December 23, 2023 Just the News

Records obtained and released by House Republicans show that when Joe Biden was vice president in 2014, he emailed his son Hunter Biden’s business associate 54 times.

Some of the emails were sent around the time when Joe Biden went to Ukraine and when Hunter was working for Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company, according to NBC News.

Commentary: Trump Should Love the Colorado Ruling

December 23, 2023 RealClearWire

The Colorado Supreme Court, acting as supplicants for the enemies of Donald Trump seeking the most extreme remedy for driving the former president into the ditch, may have just unwittingly gifted the former president a Rocky Mountain high – in the polls.

This time, four left-wing Colorado justices attempting to kneecap Trump were not even going to wait on due process – the very foundation of law – to effectively declare Trump guilty of insurrection, a crime for which he has not, repeat not, even been charged. After believing their attempts to wipe Trump off the ballot would be a knockout punch, it is the left that is about to get walloped to the canvas with a right hook.

Shenandoah Civil War Park Potential New Home for Confederate Memorial

December 23, 2023December 22, 2023 The Center Square

A Confederate memorial was removed this week from Arlington National Cemetery and could be relocated to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in the Shenandoah Valley if Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin gets his way.

The park is operated by the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, which is run by the Virginia Military Institute, one of the commonwealth’s 15 public universities and the oldest state-supported military college in the U.S.

Commentary: This Landmark Conservation Bill Has Been an Abject Failure for Fifty Years

December 23, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by President Richard M. Nixon. The statute has put enormous power into the hands of bureaucrats at the two federal agencies that administer it – the Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It has also been adroitly used by environmental groups who have sued the federal government under the ESA to stop projects not of their liking through the broadest possible designation of a “critical habitat” for a plant or animal said to be either threatened or endangered.

Oklahoma Superintendent to Propose Rules to Ban Drag Queens and Diversity Programs from Classrooms

Oklahoma’s top education official proposed rules on Thursday that will eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, prevent drag queen performers from becoming teachers and will protect religious liberty in schools.

Republican Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters will be proposing the new rules at Thursday’s Oklahoma Board of Education meeting. One proposed rule allows for the dismissal of teachers who have “engaged in sexual acts” in front of children, the second rule would eliminate funding for DEI programs in K-12 schools and the final proposed rule would ensure that students are allowed to participate in voluntary prayer.

Commentary: Seven Timeless Picture Books for the Christmas Season

“Aletheia!” A 7-year-old girl grabs my hands and pulls me through the playing kids toward my church’s stash of books. “Will you read us a story?”

The kids at my church enjoy picture books year-round, but—during the holiday season—the stories begin to revolve distinctly around Christmas. Several of these stories are ones I enjoyed when I was young; others contain lessons and art that I’ve grown to appreciate over the years.

Commentary: With ‘White Christmas,’ Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby Helped Make Christmas a Holiday That All Americans Could Celebrate