Month: January 2024

Maybe I am on a new year high, but as I consider the West’s cultural renewal, I sense an optimism in the air I haven’t felt for years.

In 2023, we saw a growing public awareness about the dangers and futility of transgender surgery. Alongside that, many woke up to the hypocrisy of the climate alarmists. And building on the success of Roe v. Wade’s demise, many states have now passed heartbeat bills, providing robust protections for many of the nation’s unborn. Surprisingly, pollsters even picked up on a decline in support for same-sex relationships.

va Top Story: Lloyd Austin Released from Hospital in Latest Development in Prostategate

January 16, 2024 Admin

Top Commentary: Lawfare Against Trump Is Running Out of Gas

January 16, 2024 Admin

Lloyd Austin Released from Hospital in Latest Development in Prostategate

January 16, 2024January 15, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was discharged from the hospital on Monday more than two weeks after his undisclosed hospitalization following complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer in December, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Austin was transported in an ambulance to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1 after experiencing nausea and severe pain in his legs and abdominal area, roughly one week after undergoing a non-invasive surgery to treat prostate cancer, sparking concerns Austin’s whereabouts could weaken the administration’s ability to respond to global threats. Austin was discharged Monday after consultation with his providers and will continue conducting his duties remotely from his home until he returns to the Pentagon, the Department of Defense (DOD) said in an emailed statement on Monday.

TSNN Featured: Arizona State Sen. Jake Hoffman Pitches Bill to Ban Arizona from Contracting With Companies That Push DEI

January 16, 2024 Admin

Analysis Ties Surge in Inflation to Increased Spending, Value of Debt

The U.S. government and those of other countries could be using higher inflation to lessen the value of growing public debt resulting from increased spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis by a Harvard economist working with The Heritage Foundation.

The study covers government spending from 2020 through 2022, the high point of the pandemic, and looked at the U.S. and 20 other economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.

Senators Raise Questions about EV Mandates and Subsidies Going to China

January 16, 2024 Just the News

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has been scrutinizing the intersection of electric vehicle mandates and supply chains to meet them, and how EV subsidies could empower China, which controls a lot of those supply chains.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., chair of the committee, said he doesn’t have any problem with electric vehicles.

Watchdog Files Accreditation Complaint Against Harvard over Plagiarism Scandal

A higher education watchdog group has filed a complaint with the organization that accredits Harvard University over campus leaders’ probe into plagiarism accusations against former President Claudine Gay.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) filed a 12-page complaint with the New England Commission of Higher Education that calls on the group to launch a probe into “Harvard’s apparent violation of its own established procedures in the investigation of the alleged plagiarism committed by Dr. Gay,” ACTA stated in a Jan. 12 news release.

Commentary: Lawfare Against Trump Is Running Out of Gas

We should dispense with the tired narrative that four conscientious state and federal prosecutors — independently and without contact with the Biden White House or the radical Democrats in Congress — all came to the same disinterested conclusions that Donald Trump should be indicted for various crimes and put on trial during the campaign season of 2024.

The prosecutors began accelerating their indictments only once Trump started to lead incumbent Joe Biden by sizable margins in head-to-head polls. Moreover, had Trump not run for the presidency, or had he been of the same party as most of the four prosecutors, he would have never been indicted by any of them.

Conservative PAC Releases Ad Targeting Rep. Bob Good for Private Remarks About Trump

January 16, 2024 Tom Pappert

A conservative political action committee in Virginia released a new ad targeting Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) on Monday, highlighting a video published in December that appeared to show Good repeatedly criticize former President Donald Trump after stating he would not make similar remarks in public.

The narrator for Virginians for Conservative Leadership PAC’s 30-second commercial declared, “For cameras, Bob Good says Trump’s okay,” but called him “two faced” and a “fake” in private, before cutting to the December video.

Commentary: Established Brands Often Struggle with Marketing

Unlike startups that are expected to take risks, get messy, and challenge the status quo, larger established firms inherit what could be considered golden handcuffs, given that success can make change a challenge. Indeed, care must be taken not to rock the boat for stockholders or tarnish the brand equity that has been established among a loyal customer base.

Much like the construction of a home, once a company is built, updates and improvements are only given consideration if changes will strengthen the existing model and its equity. The location, foundation, and general structure, however, are rarely tampered with by proud homeowners. And although additions can occur, it will cost not only materials but also permit approvals, and design changes may generate remorse for earlier sunk costs.

Forward Party Offers 2024 Election Insights

January 16, 2024 The Center Square

If forecasts are correct, 2024 will be a year marked by numerous economic and political challenges.

Andrew Yang, former presidential candidate and founder of the Forward Party, recently shared his predictions for the upcoming year and his aspirations for Forward’s role in the general and local elections.

Navy on Pace to Whiff Recruitment Goal Despite Encouraging December

U.S. Navy recruited more sailors through the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, which ended in December, than in the same period for five years prior, Navy Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman, the chief of naval personnel, said Wednesday, according to USNI News.

The Navy brought in 11,282 future sailors through December of 2023, Cheeseman said, compared to just 4,882 active duty sailors in 2022 and 7,233 the year before, according to public data from the Department of Defense (DOD). Cheeseman predicted the Navy once again would miss its recruiting goal by the end of this fiscal year but noted that the service performed better than expected in 2023, hoping 2024 would bring a similar surprise, according to USNI News.

Vivek Ramaswamy Drops Out of GOP Presidential Race after Iowa Caucus, Endorses Donald Trump

January 15, 2024 Just the News

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the GOP presidential race after the Iowa caucus results on Monday evening and endorsed former President Trump.

News Networks Call Iowa for Trump 30 minutes into Caucuses

Several national news outlets were calling the Iowa Republican caucuses for former President Donald Trump just 30 minutes after they began.

Biggest Bank in U.S. Records Most Profitable Year Ever Despite Sector Crisis

Top U.S. bank JP Morgan Chase on Friday reported $49.6 billion in profits for 2023, a record for the bank, despite a sector crisis that shut down multiple smaller institutions.

Biggest Bank in U.S. Records Most Profitable Year Ever Despite Sector Crisis

Top U.S. bank JP Morgan Chase on Friday reported $49.6 billion in profits for 2023, a record for the bank, despite a sector crisis that shut down multiple smaller institutions.

Profits for the year were up for the bank despite net income bringing in only $9.3 billion in the fourth quarter, falling 15%, while the company brought in $39.9 billion in net revenue, up 12% for the quarter, according to JP Morgan’s fourth quarter earnings report. JP Morgan’s record profits come after a year of crisis for the sector, starting with a bank run in March at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which then spread to First Republic Bank and Signature Bank, prompting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to step in and seize the banks, ultimately selling First Republic’s assets to JP Morgan.

Lawmakers, Veterans Say ‘Woke Diversity Initiatives’ Cost Taxpayers, Hurt Military

A growing concern about progressive ideology on race and gender at all levels of the U.S. military has sparked outrage and became the center of a Congressional hearing. Critics have launched a barrage of attacks on the progressive ideology they say is infiltrating the ranks, calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars and arguing it hurts morale, breeds division among troops, and hurts recruitment.

Energy Group: Biden Policies Sow Seeds for ‘New Energy Crisis’

Federal policies must focus on strengthening American energy independence, the American Petroleum Institute emphasized Wednesday at its annual State of the American Energy conference.

API CEO Mike Sommers and Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs Dustin Meyer blasted the Biden administration over what they called its “short-sighted” energy policies.

Commentary: After Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, Fuhgeddaboudit!

Since the advent of the Iowa caucuses in 1972 and the South Carolina primary in 1980, the “first in the nation” political contests, including the New Hampshire primary which dates back to 1916, have been able to consistently end up selecting who the nominee for President will eventually be particularly for Republicans.

az-oh-va Top Story: Biden Policies Sow Seeds for ‘New Energy Crisis’

Top Commentary: Martin Luther King Jr. Is More Relevant Than Ever

Energy Group: Biden Policies Sow Seeds for ‘New Energy Crisis’

January 15, 2024January 14, 2024 The Center Square

Federal policies must focus on strengthening American energy independence, the American Petroleum Institute emphasized Wednesday at its annual State of the American Energy conference.

API CEO Mike Sommers and Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs Dustin Meyer blasted the Biden administration over what they called its “short-sighted” energy policies.

TSNN Featured: Fani Willis Delivers ‘Letter to God’ from Pulpit of Baptist Church on Sunday, Defends Hiring of Nathan Wade and Suggests Critics Motivated by Racism

Federal Reserve Employees Went Through DEI Training as Inflation Rose

New documents reveal that, as the nation suffered from the strain of historically high inflation, employees at the Federal Reserve spent more time going through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training than addressing the financial crisis.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the newly-obtained documents reveal that there were four DEI training sessions held in the spring and summer of 2021. These lessons featured such teachings as “correct pronoun usage is a civil right” and acknowledging “White privilege,” as well as demanding the use of “inclusive language” such as “Latinx,” a word that is meant to erase the historically gendered language used in Hispanic languages.

Commentary: Martin Luther King Jr. Is More Relevant Than Ever

Why do we celebrate a holiday honoring a man who was arrested and jailed twenty-nine times, and was ultimately assassinated? What lessons can we learn from this man, Martin Luther King, Jr. and from American institutions that seem to have forgotten the contributions that made him worthy of a national holiday?

Texas Transports over 100,000 Foreign Nationals to ‘Sanctuary Cities’

Since April 2022, more than 100,000 foreign nationals who have illegally crossed the border have been bused or flown from Texas to six sanctuary cities. This equates to roughly 5 percent of those who illegally entered Texas in fiscal 2023 alone, the highest number on record, The Center Square exclusively reported.

Professor Who Belittled Christopher Rufo’s Harvard Degree ‘Apologizes’

The Harvard professor who made fun of conservative journalist Christopher Rufo’s Harvard Extension School degree as “not the same” as those earned by “normal” Harvard students has offered an apology of sorts.

Jennifer Hochschild (pictured above), a professor of government and African/African American Studies whose work was plagiarized by former Harvard President Claudine Gay, had accused Rufo of “try[ing] to attach himself to Ivy status and prestige” by noting he has a master’s degree from Harvard.

Commentary: Do Not Let Hamas Escape into Exile

“NYC Public School Wipes Israel from the Map” reads the headline of Francesca Block’s article in The Free Press today (January 11). The map was supplied to the school, PS 261, as part of a program that is sponsored by the rulers of Qatar. The idea is, of course, to normalize to these children the idea of a Middle East from which Israel has been erased.

Nearly Half of Iowa Trump Supporters Are ‘Extremely’ Enthusiastic – Plurality of DeSantis and Haley Backers Only ‘Mildly’ So

Former President Donald Trump still maintains a strong lead in Iowa ahead of the GOP presidential caucus on Monday with strong enthusiasm from supporters, unlike former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, whose backers lack the same enthusiasm, according to a new poll released by The Des Moines Register/NBC News/MediaCom.

Out of all voters who expect to caucus for Trump, around 42 percent said that they were “extremely enthusiastic,” while 39 percent said that they were “very enthusiastic,” compared to Haley, who came in at 9 percent and 30 percent in those same metrics, respectively, according to a poll conducted by Selzer & Co. Overall, those surveyed heavily favored the former president, with 48 percent of voters saying they would support Trump, followed by Haley at 20 percent and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16 percent.

As Media and Environmental Groups Dismiss Offshore Wind Concerns, Whale Advocates Continue Fight

January 15, 2024 Just the News

In 2022, 100 marine scientists launched a campaign to stop oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, over concerns that the activity could impact a rare species of whale. EarthJustice, an environmentalist nonprofit that litigates environmental issues, joined in the fight.

While oil spills can directly kill whales, the main threat to marine life from oil and gas development is vessel strikes and underwater noise.

Commentary: Gun Owners End 2023 Proving Gun Control Advocates Wrong

As 2023 drew to a close, millions of peaceable Americans geared up for a new year that will bring with it many new limitations on their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

In California, for example, Jan. 1 was the date to ring in the state’s plethora of new restrictions on carrying concealed firearms in public, courtesy of SB 2, a law passed in the wake of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen to punish concealed carry permit holders for having their rights vindicated by the Supreme Court.

Sen. Rand Paul Proposes Fed Audit as Regional Bank Bailout Hits $141 Billion

Legislation offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the “Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2024,” would conduct an audit of the U.S. Federal Reserve by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for the first time since the Dodd-Frank legislation of 2010 required an audit of the central bank’s purchases of mortgage-backed securities.

This time around, the GAO would look at the Fed’s entire balance sheet, including the recently enacted Bank Term Funding Program — now $141 billion according to the central bank’s latest H.4.1. release — that has been lending banks money in exchange for U.S. Treasuries after the spike in interest rates caused there to be a reported $620 billion of unreported losses including regional banks that experienced failures in the interest rate crunch.

Iowa’s Republican Caucusgoers Set to Make Their Pick for 2024 Presidential Nominee

The Hawkeye state has held a caucus every four years since the 1970s and is one of only nine states that still implement the practice, according to WQUAD8, a local ACB News affiliate. Eligible voters who are registered with the party and over the age of 18 will meet at 7 p.m. Central Time on Jan. 15 in schools, churches and event centers across the state after weeks of aggressive campaigning by Republican candidates.

Commentary: Patriotism, Gratitude, and Western Civilization

Many years ago, I attended West Forsyth High School near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Though our sports teams then were generally mediocre, at basketball and football games our cheerleaders would inevitably break into a chant: “WEST IS BEST! WEST IS BEST!”

That cheer came back to me while reading “The Decline and Fall of the Descendants of the Roman Empire.”

Donald Trump Holds Rally in Iowa Ahead of Caucus amid Frigid Weather

January 14, 2024 Admin

Former President Donald Trump appeared for a rally in Indianola, Iowa, one day before the caucus, as the state faces negative temperatures following a blizzard, with a life-threatening wind chill warning issued by the National Weather Service in effect until Tuesday.

Top Story: House GOP Probes Biden Administration’s Opening of Public Lands to Potential Foreign Ownership

Top Commentary: Government Funding Is the Likely Culprit for Science’s Major Fraud Problem

House GOP Probes Biden Administration’s Opening of Public Lands to Potential Foreign Ownership

January 14, 2024January 13, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee have launched an investigation of the Biden Administration’s proposal to open public lands to private ownership, which includes the possibility of foreigners buying such land.

According to Fox News, the effort is being led by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who informed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the investigation’s launch. The proposed rule change from the SEC would allow for a new type of public company, referred to as Natural Asset Companies (NACs), to trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

TSNN Featured: Fulton County Special Prosecutor Breaks Silence on January 6 Committee’s Involvement in Trump Case

BlackRock to Make Massive Infrastructure Move to ‘Decarbonize the World’ and Reap Government Subsidies

BlackRock on Friday reached an agreement to acquire Global Infrastructure Partners for $12.5 billion, a move aimed at advancing the investment giant’s climate objectives and capitalizing on government subsidies, according to statements and reports.

BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager and is a proponent of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) investing. Both companies share a commitment to decarbonization and BlackRock sees the deal’s timing as opportune, as governments have offered businesses rare financial incentives to build infrastructure, including for green energy projects, according to a press release.

Johns Hopkins Medicine Backpedals on ‘Privilege’ List, Says Email ‘Contradicts’ Values

Johns Hopkins Medicine walked back an internal email Thursday that accused straight white men of having unearned “privilege,” a spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Johns Hopkins Medicine sent out an email in January saying that multiple groups of people, including Christians and males, have privileges that “favor members of dominant groups.” The email was walked back by a spokesperson who said the list “contradicts” Johns Hopkins’ “values,” and was also walked back in an email by the chief diversity officer of the organization, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Immigration Case Backlogs Reach Record Levels Despite Big Increase in Spending

January 14, 2024 The Center Square

The cost of processing applications of immigrants by the Department of Homeland Security has increased from $345 million in 2022 to $765 million in 2023 while the number of pending cases continues to increase.

The number of backlog immigration cases reached 3 million for the first time in November 2023, a 50% increase from the previous year. That increase comes despite the Department of Homeland Security doubling the number of full-time positions to address the issue since the first time in November 2023.

Virginia Right Help, Right Now Program Exceeds Expectations, Committee Learns

January 14, 2024January 13, 2024 The Center Square

In the first meeting of the Senate Education and Health Committee for the 2024 legislative session, Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel spoke to the committee, reviewing the department’s current priorities and progress.

A little over a year into the governor’s Right Help, Right Now plan, designed to help address the national mental health crisis as it has manifested in the commonwealth, the program has exceeded expectations in some areas.

Commentary: Government Funding Is the Likely Culprit for Science’s Major Fraud Problem

President Biden’s 2024 budget includes over $210 billion directed toward federal research and development, an approximately $9 billion increase from 2023 funding. That might not sound particularly bad—after all, who doesn’t like science and innovation?

But, although seemingly noble, the billions pumped into the US government’s National Science Foundation don’t always translate into finding cures for debilitating diseases, or developing groundbreaking technologies.

Rand Paul Launches ‘Never Nikki’ Website, Says He Doesn’t Have a First Choice Yet for President

January 14, 2024January 14, 2024 Just the News

GOP Sen. Rand Paul,on Friday launched a website titled “Never Nikki” to urge libertarians not to vote for former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in his party’s 2024 presidential nomination process.

“Based on her record and campaign, I don’t see how any thoughtful or informed libertarian or conservative should vote for @NikkiHaley. If you agree, let your voice be heard,” Paul, of Kentucky, wrote on the social media platform, X.

Commentary: ‘To Have and to Hold’: Marrying Young and Making It Last