Just the News, Author at The Virginia Star

Newest ‘Twitter Files’ Release Reveals Platform’s ‘Constant and Pervasive’ Dealings with FBI

December 16, 2022 Just the News

The latest “Twitter Files” release, on Friday evening, details the social media platform’s relationship with the FBI and outlined communications between the federal agency seeking takedowns of select posts.

The most recent release is from independent journalist Matt Taibbi, one of several individuals to whom new Twitter CEO Elon Musk has granted access to the company’s internal communications in a bid to highlight the prior management’s efforts to stifle posts that didn’t agree with their world view.

Twitter Changes Rule on Location Sharing After Musk Says Car Carrying His Child Was Followed

December 16, 2022December 15, 2022 Just the News

Twitter CEO Elon Musk changed the social media platform’s rules on live location tracking after what he described as a “crazy stalker” followed a car carrying his child and “climbed” onto the vehicle.

In making the change, Musk also said Wednesday that “legal action is being taken” against Jack Sweeney, the man behind the account using publicly available data to track the location of the Tesla CEO’s private jet, following the attack on his 2-year-old child, X Æ A-Xii Musk.

Trump Reveals ‘Digital Trading Card Collection’ Featuring Art from His Life, Career

December 15, 2022 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the rollout of a digital trading card line featuring fantastical artwork depicting his “life and career,” a collection the Republican president predicted would sell out “very quickly.”

Trump had earlier in the week teased the announcement, which he rolled out on Thursday morning via his social networking site Truth Social.

Federal Reserve Raises Rates by Half Percentage Point, Signaling Slowing of Rate Hikes

December 15, 2022December 14, 2022 Just the News

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced a reduced but still notable hike in U.S. interest rates, with the central bank moving to hike rates by half a percentage point as part of its ongoing efforts to tamp down inflation.

The hike, which comprises 50 basis points, is less than the three-quarter-point hikes the bank has enacted every month for the last several months, though it still represents a significant raise at a time when the economy remains fragile after years of turmoil and unertainty.

Republicans Made Midterm Gains with Young Voters

December 13, 2022December 12, 2022 Just the News

Republicans made gains in the midterm elections among voters under 30, a demographic that tends to lean heavily Democratic, according to the Associated Press.

Young voters swung 53 percent for Democratic House candidates and 41 percent for Republican candidates, according to the AP. The result marks a decline from recent elections: voters under 30 chose President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump 61 percent to 36 percent in 2020, swung for Democrats 64 to 34 percent in 2018 House races.

Department of Energy Fires Gender Fluid Nuclear Official amid Luggage Theft Charges: Reports

December 13, 2022 Just the News

The Department of Energy has fired Sam Brinton, thought to be the nation’s first openly gender fluid federal employee, amid multiple allegations of luggage theft.

“Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee,” a department spokesperson told the Daily Beast on Monday. “By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters.”

Biden Administration Removed 71 Percent Fewer Criminal Aliens vs. Comparable Period under Trump

December 13, 2022December 12, 2022 Just the News

Over its first nine months, the Biden administration removed 71% fewer locally arrested criminal aliens than were deported during a comparable period in 2019 under Donald Trump, according to a new study of state and local statistics — despite record illegal immigration numbers.

Florida State University Research Links Common Sweetener Aspartame with Anxiety

December 12, 2022December 11, 2022 Just the News

Scientists in Florida say they have established a link between the common artificial sweetener aspartame and anxiety-like behavior in mice test subjects.

A press release out of Florida State University revealed that the researchers “provid[ed] mice with drinking water containing aspartame at approximately 15% of the FDA-approved maximum daily human intake.”

‘Twitter Files Part 4’ Details How Platform Changed Policy Specifically to Ban ‘Trump Alone’

December 11, 2022December 11, 2022 Just the News

The fourth entry in the ongoing “Twitter Files” series of explosive revelations dropped on Saturday night, with part four in the series focusing on the removal of Donald Trump from the popular social media platform in early 2021.

The latest thread, published by writer Michael Shellenberger, details the process that “Twitter executives” took as they were “build[ing] the case for a permanent ban” against the former Republican president.

University Stonewalling Release of Public Records on Federal Censorship Collusion: Lawsuits

December 10, 2022December 9, 2022 Just the News

The University of Washington is facing several public records requests in the wake of Just the News reporting on its Center for an Informed Public’s role in a Department of Homeland Security-backed private consortium intended to squelch purported election “misinformation.”

Nonprofit watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust filed two Washington Public Records Act lawsuits this week seeking to compel a faster UW turnaround for CIP Director Kate Starbird’s communications with other Election Integrity Partnership leaders and with outside participants, including government entities.

Third Twitter Document Dump Details Decision to Ban Donald Trump

December 9, 2022 Just the News

The third release of internal Twitter documents on Friday evening detailed the momentous decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the platform after the Jan. 6 riot, making clear that executives understood it was an unprecedented moment in the history of speech.

Alternative journalist Matt Taibbi on Friday released the third set of internal documents as part of an Elon Musk-sanctioned effort to expose the platform’s prior censorship practices.

Gen-Z’s First Congressman-Elect Says He Was Denied a Lease in D.C. Due to ‘Really Bad’ Credit

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 Just the News

Florida Democratic Rep.-elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost says he was denied a lease on a Washington, D.C., apartment after the landlord initially told him that his bad credit wouldn’t matter.

Frost is slated to become the first Gen-Z lawmaker in Washington when the next Congress is sworn in in January. He was previously a community organizer and will take over the seat of Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who unsuccessfully challenged Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio for his seat in the upper chamber in November.

Second Wave of Twitter Docs Reveal ‘Blacklists’ and ‘Shadow Bans’

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 Just the News

Former New York Times editor Bari Weiss on Thursday released internal documents on Twitter’s censorship efforts and detailed the creation of blacklists and use of shadow ban technique to throttle “disfavored” tweets.

Last week, Musk released information on the company’s censoring of the Hunter Biden laptop story via alternative journalist Matt Taibbi. Thursday’s dump came through a team of reporters Weiss led and to whom Musk granted broad access to the company’s files to investigate on condition they first publish their findings on Twitter.

Griner Released in Prisoner Swap for Convicted Russian Arms Dealer

December 8, 2022 Just the News

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from Russian prison in a prisoner exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to multiple media reports Thursday morning.

President Joe Biden said Griner is safe and on her way home during an address Thursday with Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, and Vice President Kamala Harris. He thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping facilitate Brittney Griner’s return home.

Soros-Backed Labor Organization Receives $12 Million in Taxpayer Funding to Back Latin American Workers

December 5, 2022December 4, 2022 Just the News

A labor group underwritten by controversial billionaire George Soros is receiving $12 million from the federal government to back workers in several Latin American countries.

EPA Quietly Quadruples Regulatory Cost of Carbon Emissions in New War on Fossil Fuels

December 5, 2022December 4, 2022 Just the News

With the price of everything from gasoline to food soaring in America, nobody is surprised by inflated price tags these days. But even by Washington standards, an action taken earlier this month by the Environmental Protection Agency is creating sticker shock: a nearly fourfold increase in the government calculation of damages from carbon emissions.

Vermont Backs Down on Religion-Free School Choice after SCOTUS Knocks Down Maine Policy

December 5, 2022December 4, 2022 Just the News

Vermont families that want to send their children to religious schools will no longer be excluded from the state’s tuition benefit program, as a result of legal settlements in two cases brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

The plaintiffs who were denied funding under the Town Tuition Program, which provides tuition for students who live in areas without local public schools, will get reimbursement for money spent out of pocket on tuition. Other families denied funding can apply as well.

Trump Calls for ‘Termination’ of Election rules in Constitution after Release of the Twitter Files

December 4, 2022December 4, 2022 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump called for the termination of the Constitution’s rules regarding elections after the release of information about the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020.

“So, with the revelation of MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION in working closely with Big Tech Companies, the DNC, & the Democrat Party, do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION?” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social.

Elise Stefanik Alleges USPS Workers Stole Her Campaign Mail, up to $20,000 in Donations

December 4, 2022December 3, 2022 Just the News

New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik on Friday alleged that United States Postal Service workers stole up to $20,000 in campaign contributions and illegally opened her mail to do so.

“On four separate occasions between June 2022 and November 2022, packages sent by Elise for Congress containing campaign contributions were ripped open and the contents stolen while in the custody of USPS or its contractors,” her lawyers wrote to Postmaster General Louis Dejoy in a letter the Daily Wire obtained. “Three of these incidents occurred in a single week.”

Rigorous International Study of N95 Masks Upends Federal COVID Narrative

December 4, 2022 Just the News

The CDC took nearly two years to formally recognize distinctions between masks for mitigating COVID-19 spread, finally saying in January that cloth masks offer “the least” protection and N95 respirators, which meet strict federal standards, “the highest.”

The agency’s slight nod to the largely symbolic value of cloth masks, predominantly worn in school settings, followed months of calls by onetime White House COVID advisers, among others, to promote masks actually designed to stop aerosolized transmission. It also spurred a run on N95s, sending prices skyward.

DNC Committee Approves Making South Carolina First State in Its Primary Calendar

December 4, 2022 Just the News

A panel of the Democratic National Committee on Friday backed a proposal that would make South Carolina the first state to hold a primary contest in the party’s primary nominating process.

Under the Rules and Bylaws Committee proposal, Nevada, New Hampshire, Georgia, and Michigan, would follow soon after South Carolina and precede Super Tuesday, according to CNN. The changes still require confirmation at a full DNC meeting, set to take place next year.

Twitter Docs Released by Musk and Journalist Suggest Democrats Could Manipulate Speech on Platform

December 2, 2022 Just the News

Twitter owner Elon Musk, through alternative journalist Matt Taibbi, released a series of internal documents on Friday suggesting that the Biden campaign and Democratic National Committee were able to manipulate speech on the platform through tools that Twitter made available.

That manipulation included the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story first reported by the New York Post. The emails appear to cite requests from “the Biden team” and “DNC” and include confirmations that Twitter “handled” their requests to delete posts.

Appeals Court Shuts Down Special Master Review of Mar-a-Lago Documents

December 2, 2022December 1, 2022 Just the News

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that a Trump-appointed judge erred in appointing a special master to independently review the documents the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in August.

An 11th Circuit Court of Appeals panel unanimously determined that U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon was incorrect both to appoint a special master to independently assess Trump’s executive privilege claims and to bar the Department of Justice from conducting its own review, Politico reported.

House Democrats Elect Jeffries as New Leader, First Black American to Lead Major Party in Congress

December 1, 2022November 30, 2022 Just the News

House Democrats on Wednesday elected New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as the leader of their conference.

Jeffries in assuming the post becomes the first black American to head a major political party in Congress.

County Under a Cloud: Maricopa’s Decade-Long History of Election Issues, from 2012 to 2022

December 1, 2022November 30, 2022 Just the News

As voters, poll workers, and observers have voiced their concerns about issues they witnessed on Election Day in Maricopa County, Ariz., a review of the county’s history shows 10 years of election issues under various election officials.

Numerous issues occurred at vote centers on Election Day in Maricopa County earlier this month, from election machine problems to hours-long lines, according to widespread reports. However, election issues are not unique to the 2022 midterms in Maricopa, as some began a decade ago.

Senate Passes Respect for Marriage Act

November 29, 2022 Just the News

The Senate on Tuesday evening passed the Respect for Marriage Act to require that states recognize lawful marriages from other states while providing protections for religious liberty.

The bill passed with crossover support from Republicans, allowing it to clear the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold. It will now move to the House of Representatives, which previously passed a similar package. The final count was 61-36.

Merriam-Webster’s 2022 Word of the Year: ‘Gaslighting’

November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 Just the News

Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2022 is “gaslighting,” which it defined as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.”

Mass General Brigham Speech Code Includes Blacklist on Care

November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 Just the News

A wealthy Massachusetts healthcare system that went on a controversial advertising spree to justify its encroachment on cheaper hospitals is now sending patients a different message: Watch your language.

“Words or actions that are disrespectful, racist, discriminatory, hostile, or harassing are not welcome” at Mass General Brigham (MGB), according to a “Patient Code of Conduct” imposed this fall after a year of development.

National Science Foundation Gives Tens of Millions to Fight COVID ‘Disinformation,’ Populism

November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 Just the News

Government efforts to squelch purported misinformation and disinformation on the most contested subjects in American politics don’t stop with Cabinet-level agencies.

The National Science Foundation has awarded at least $39 million in grants and contracts in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 for projects that target misinformation or disinformation, frequently pertaining to COVID-19 and elections.

Two Estonian Citizens Arrested for Alleged Involvement in $575 Million Cryptocurrency Fraud

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 Just the News

The Department of Justice announced on Monday that two Estonian citizens were arrested on Sunday in Tallinn, Estonia on an 18-count indictment for alleged involvement in a $575 million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

The two men, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 37 years old, allegedly defrauded hundreds of thousands of people out of money by convincing victims to enter into fraudulent equipment rental contracts with the defendants’ cryptocurrency mining service called HashFlare.

Labor Department Approves Investing Pensions in ‘Woke’ ESG-Only Funds

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 Just the News

The U.S. Labor Department announced plans to allow pension fund managers to “consider climate change and other environmental, social and governance factors,” also known as ESG, when choosing investments.

In an announcement about the final rule last week, the agency criticized the Trump administration, stating, “the department concluded that two rules issued in 2020 … unnecessarily restrained plan fiduciaries’ ability to weigh environmental, social and governance factors when choosing investments, even when those factors would benefit plan participants financially.”

Chinese Drone Threat Raises Foreign Espionage Concerns Among U.S. Officials

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 Just the News

Enough Chinese-made recreational drones have been spotted in restricted airspace in the Washington, D.C. area to raise foreign espionage concerns among U.S. government agencies and lawmakers alike.

The drones, which are manufactured by DJI and sold at major retailers, can be altered by users to override the geofencing limitations that prevent the devices from flying over sensitive locations.

IRS Warns Taxpayers of New $600 Threshold for Reporting Third-Party Payments

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 Just the News

The IRS this week warned taxpayers about its new $600 reporting threshold for third-party payments and the need to fill out a 1099-K form should taxpayers exceed that limit.

Analysis: Trump Prevailed over Biden in Security Debate over Chinese Social App

November 27, 2022November 26, 2022 Just the News

Call it the tale of two TikTok presidents. In familiar fashion, Donald Trump was originally ridiculed as president when he suggested the Chinese-owned TikTok social video app was a national security risk, only now to be validated two years later by the intelligence community.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden vowed to always heed the intelligence community, only to stray by promoting TikTok during the midterms as a political strategy and allowing his administration to bring some TikTok workers to the United States on special immigrant visas.

As White House Drains Oil Reserve to Near-40-Year Lows, Biden Asks for $500 Million to Modernize System

November 27, 2022November 26, 2022 Just the News

The Biden administration is asking Congress for hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to shore up and modernize parts of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve system, a request that comes after the White House has spent months aggressively draining the levels of fuel from the system itself.

The request, a rider attached to the White House’s $38 billion Ukrainian funding package, would “provide the Department of Energy, Energy Security and Infrastructure Modernization Fund account $500 million for modernization activities of the four Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites,” the White House said in the letter.

In Rambling Note, Virginia Walmart Shooter Complained of Harassment, ‘Betrayal’

November 26, 2022November 25, 2022 Just the News

A rambling note left by the Chesapeake, Va., Walmart killer claims that he suffered from harassment and “betrayal” prior to his rampage and that he carried out the killing as if he was “led by Satan.”

The note, released by Chesapeake police this week was discovered on Andre Bing’s phone after the Tuesday killing, where he shot and killed at least six people before turning the gun on himself.

GOP Struggled with Voters 18-29 in 2022 Election over Abortion, Gun Rights, Climate Change

November 26, 2022November 25, 2022 Just the News

The Republican Party struggled with young voters ages 18-29 in the 2022 midterm election, largely due to issues such as abortion, gun rights, and climate change, according to an analysis from Look Ahead Strategies.

CNN found that House Democratic candidates “won voters under 30 by 28 points,” which was a two-point increase over the 2020 election data for that age group.

FDA Social Media Posts on COVID Under Legal, Medical Scrutiny for Misleading Claims

November 25, 2022November 24, 2022 Just the News

The FDA’s Twitter habits are getting scrutiny in court and from medical professionals as the feds seesaw between walking back their once-confident COVID-19 assertions and making sweeping new claims without providing evidence.

Having long ago conceded that COVID vaccines can’t stop viral transmission and that assertions to the contrary by President Biden among others were based on “hope” rather than science, the feds are now downplaying the influence of their social media to escape liability for allegedly violating statutory limits by interfering in medical judgments.

Woke Ideology Eroding War-Fighting Capability Inside Pentagon, New Congressional Report Warns

November 25, 2022November 24, 2022 Just the News

A report released Monday by two Republicans in Congress alleged the Biden administration’s injection of liberal ideologies like Critical Race Theory into the Pentagon is harming military readiness and the safety of troops.

“President Joe Biden and his administration are weakening America’s warfighters through a sustained assault fueled by woke virtue signaling,” Sen. Marco, Rubio, of Florida, and Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, wrote in the new report, titled “WOKE WARFIGHTERS: How Political Ideology is Weakening America’s Military.”

H&R Block, Other Tax Prep Services Sending ‘Sensitive Financial Information’ to Facebook: Report

November 23, 2022November 22, 2022 Just the News

Major tax preparation services have reportedly been sending sensitive personal financial information to Facebook as part of a potential advertising scheme, according to a report released Tuesday.

Companies such as H&R Block, TaxAct, and TaxSlayer have allegedly been sending Facebook “not only information like names and email addresses but often even more detailed information, including data on users’ income, filing status, refund amounts, and dependents’ college scholarship amounts,” a report from the Verge said on Tuesday.

Supreme Court Allows House Democrats to Have Access to Former President Trump’s Tax Records

November 22, 2022 Just the News

The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down former President Donald Trump’s request to block House Democrats from accessing his tax records.

Earlier in November, Chief Justice Roberts temporarily blocked the release of Trump’s tax records, according to the Associated Press.

Democrat Poised to Succeed Pelosi Repeatedly Denied Legitimacy of Trump’s 2016 Election

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 Just the News

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat poised to succeed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as his party’s leader in the House, has repeatedly denied the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s 2016 election.

But his claims of a stolen election and voter suppression have hardly gotten the same treatment as Trump and other Republicans who have raised ballot integrity issues and been endlessly branded as “election deniers.”

Farm Bureau Survey Finds Thanksgiving to Be the Most Expensive Yet as Cost Rises 20 Percent

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 Just the News

Thanksgiving dinner will cost 20% more this year compared to last year, according to a Farm Bureau survey published Wednesday, with the market signaling record-high prices for the second year in a row.

The average cost to feed 10 people for Thanksgiving will be $64.05, or under $6.50 per person, the Farm Bureau said. This is a $10.74 or 20% cost increase from 2021’s average of $53.31, which was also a record high at the time, according to historical data.

Zeldin Eyes RNC Chairmanship After Midterm Loss

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 Just the News

New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin is reportedly mulling a bid to chair the Republican National Committee following his loss in New York’s gubernatorial race to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

In an email to RNC members, which Politico obtained, Zeldin indicated he is “very seriously considering” a play for party leadership.

Top Epidemiologist Wants Pandemic Emergency Powers Ended, Insurer Death Data Released

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 Just the News

One of the nation’s leading epidemiologists is declaring there is no basis for President Joe Biden to extend his emergency pandemic powers and that it is essential for insurers to release data showing deaths and injuries to those who have received COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Harvey Risch, professor emeritus at the Yale University School of Public Health, told Just the News on Friday evening that federal agencies have epically mishandled the pandemic strategy by substituting theories and politics for science.

State Department Tells Staff Abroad to Promote Anti-Populist ‘Disinformation’ Game in Schools

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 Just the News

The same State Department office that partnered with a Department of Homeland Security-backed private consortium that reported purported election misinformation to tech platforms for removal in the 2020 and 2022 cycles is also using internet games to affect elections abroad.

In an Oct. 31 memo reviewed by Just the News, Secretary of State Antony Blinken encourages diplomatic and consular posts worldwide to promote “Cat Park,” funded by State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) and U.S. Embassy The Hague and released to coincide with UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week.

Arizona AG Opens Inquiry into Maricopa County Election Irregularities, Possible Legal Violations

November 20, 2022 Just the News

The Arizona attorney general’s office has opened an inquiry into Maricopa County’s handling of the mid-term elections, demanding a full report of well-publicized irregularities and warning there is evidence of “statutory violations.”

The letter from Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s election integrity unit marks a major escalation in the dispute over how voters were treated on Election Day in the state’s largest county, where scores of ballot tabulators had problems because of printing problems.