by Kerry McDonald Schooling is adept at rooting out individuality and enforcing compliance. In his book, Understanding Power, Noam Chomsky writes: “In fact, the whole educational and professional training system is a very elaborate filter, which just weeds out people who are too independent, and who think for themselves, and who…
Read MoreMonth: December 2018
St. Paul City Council Votes in Favor of Recreational Marijuana As Long-Time Member Resigns
The St. Paul City Council voted 6-1 Wednesday in favor of adding the legalization of marijuana to its list of legislative priorities for the upcoming session. The resolution, authored by Council Member Dai Thao and co-sponsored by Council Members Rebecca Noecker and Mitra Nelson, argues that the decriminalization of recreational…
Read MoreEnvoy Says Trump Willing to ‘Stand Up and Push’ for Global Religious Freedom
by Rachel del Guidice President Donald Trump is committed to pushing for greater tolerance of different faiths by governments around the world and dismantling an “iron curtain of religious persecution,” his envoy for religious freedom said in an interview with The Daily Signal. “Most people in the world move by…
Read MoreMinnesota Sen. Tina Smith Calls Detention Centers ‘Children’s Prison’ in Visit to Border
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) spent her weekend visiting detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, which she repeatedly described as “prison camps.” Smith, fresh off her first election victory in Minnesota, posted videos and images throughout her trip, describing one detention center in a lengthy Facebook post as “soulless,…
Read MoreKeith Ellison and Fellow Minnesota Dems Vow to Fight Friday’s Obamacare Ruling
Attorney General-elect Keith Ellison and his fellow Minnesota Democrats are vowing to fight a Friday ruling from a federal judge in Texas that deemed Obamacare “unconstitutional.” “The Individual Mandate can no longer be fairly read as an exercise of Congress’ Tax Power and is still impermissible under the Interstate Commerce…
Read MoreCommentary: Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on Campus Activists’ Resumes
by Jay Schalin The proper term for the actions of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student assistants and instructors threatening to withhold grades unless Silent Sam—a statue of a Confederate soldier who was pulled off his pedestal by a mob of activists in August—is removed…
Read MoreEnvironmentalists Celebrate After Zinke Calls it Quits
by Tim Pearce Environmentalists began celebrating Saturday after President Donald Trump announced Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke would leave the administration by the end of 2018. “Zinke’s days of plundering our lands and enriching himself and his friends are over,” Friends of the Earth fossil fuels program manager Nicole Ghio…
Read MoreCampus Diversity Movement Takes Off in Surprising New Directions
by John Rosenberg Ever since Justice Powell’s lone opinion in Bakke allowed the camel’s nose of “diversity” under the anti-discrimination tent, controversy has raged over preferential treatment awarded to college applicants of certain races. Just as hurricanes often change direction after landfall, the diversity movement has recently taken off…
Read MoreRussian Nationals Indicted in North Carolina on Immigration Fraud, Murder for Hire Charges
Five Russian nationals were indicted on Wednesday in the Eastern District of North Carolina, according to a Department of Justice press release. The five are charged with “federal crimes stemming from a bribery and kickback scheme, including money laundering, immigration fraud, and a subsequent murder for hire plot.” Leonid Teyf, 57,…
Read MoreBeto O’Rourke Thinks People Have Died Because of The Border Wall
by Molly Prince Democratic Rep. Robert “Beto” O’Rourke of Texas claimed Friday that the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border is the reason why an increasing number of migrants have died as they illegally attempt to cross into the country. “The number of people dying at the U.S.-Mexico border in…
Read MoreCommentary: The ‘Trump Doctrine’ is the Future of Conservative Foreign Policy
by John Fonte For the past two years we have seen the emergence of a coherent Trump doctrine in both words and deeds. There is a remarkable consistency throughout all of President Trump’s speeches, formal documents (such as the National Security Strategy) and actions of the administration. To understand…
Read MoreFederal Report Says Millennials Are Poorer Than Other Generations
by Ryan McMaken One of the challenges in looking at income and wealth data is getting a sense of how different demographic groups are affected. It’s relatively easy to find median income and wealth data over time for the entire population, for example. But then problems of interpretation immediately…
Read MoreStates Have a New Opportunity to Lower Health Insurance Premiums and Expand Options
by Mary Fishpaw The Trump administration is offering welcome relief to Americans struggling with high premiums under Obamacare premiums and a lack of insurance choices. The administration has taken a series of regulatory actions to do the following: Make short-term, limited duration policies widely available and give consumers the…
Read MoreIlhan Omar Walks Out With Amazon Employees at Shakopee Facility
An activist organization born out of the alleged unfair working conditions imposed by Amazon held a “massive” protest at the company’s Shakopee center Friday, and Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was in attendance. As The Minnesota Sun reported last week, a non-profit called the Awood Center is seeking to build “East…
Read MoreSt. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s ‘Different Take’ on City Government Reflected in ‘Bold’ 2019 Budget
The St. Paul City Council approved Mayor Melvin Carter’s 2019 budget this week, which includes a 10.5 percent property tax increase and $500,000 towards additional bike lanes throughout the city. The council unanimously approved the budget on Wednesday. Carter called the budget a “different take on what the city government…
Read MoreCommentary: The Breakdown of Family and Religion Explains France’s Social Unrest
by Star Parker As France is gripped by civil disorder, many commentators identify, quite correctly, as the culprit the outsized burden that France’s bloated welfare state places on its citizens. According a recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the highest tax burden in the industrialized…
Read MoreBATTLEGROUND STATE REPORT: Maine’s Vote Ranking System Explained
On Friday’s Battleground State Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – a one hour radio show from Star News Digital Media in the early stages of a national weekend syndication rollout – the two hosts discussed the concept in Maine’s new “rank voting” system, who’s behind it, why it’s being…
Read MoreCommentary: Bernie Sanders Should Be Thrown Out of Politics for Supporting Venezuela’s Oppressors
by Barry Brownstein Would you use a doctor or dentist who didn’t believe in germ theory and used the same instruments all day without sterilizing them? What would you say if, when their patients developed infections, the doctor or dentist insisted he meant well and argued that capitalism, not…
Read MoreDocument Details the Eye-Popping Amount Attorneys Stand to Make From Climate Crusades
by Chris White One of the law firms involved in a trove of California lawsuits targeting ExxonMobil and other energy companies is poised to rake in millions of dollars from their climate crusades, according to Climate Litigation Watch. Sher Edling LLP could capitalize on a big pay-day if San…
Read MoreChinese Pastor Could Reportedly Face 15 Years in Prison for ‘Inciting Subversion of State Power’
by Joshua Gill Chinese authorities reportedly charged an evangelical pastor and his wife with “inciting subversion of state power” Wednesday, for which they face potentially 15 years in prison. Chinese police in the town of Chengdu arrested Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church, his wife Jiang Rong and…
Read MoreTrump Administration Seeks to Enforce Trans Soldier Ban in Supreme Court
by Kevin Daley In an unusual move, the Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to let President Donald Trump’s administration enforce its ban on transgender military personnel while it litigates legal challenges to the policy in lower courts. Thursday’s application is the latest in a series of aggressive…
Read MoreParents Sue Over De Blasio’s Plan to Diversify NYC’s Elite Schools
by Neetu Chandak Asian-American parents and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against New York City officials Thursday over a plan that would increase admissions for black and Hispanic students to elite schools in the city. Black and Hispanic students make up 68 percent of the city’s population with…
Read MoreHomeland Security ‘Begging Parents’ Not to ‘Put Their Children at Risk’ After Guatemalan Girl Dies
by Hanna Bogorowski The Department of Homeland Security is “begging” parents to not put themselves or their children at risk following the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl in the hospital hours after her father turned himself and his daughter in to Border Patrol officers in New Mexico. The…
Read MoreMN Gov.-Elect Tim Walz Has Missed 80 Percent of House Votes Since August Primary
Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN), still a U.S. congressman until January, has missed 45 votes on the House floor since winning August’s Democratic gubernatorial primary in Minnesota. Between the days of September 4 and December 13, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted on 56 different measures, but Walz has been…
Read MoreTrump Names Mulvaney Acting Chief of Staff
President Donald Trump is announcing that budget director Mick Mulvaney will be his next chief of staff. Trump tweeted Friday that Mulvaney “has done an outstanding job” in his administration and would take over next year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management…
Read MoreTrump Names Mulvaney Acting Chief of Staff
President Donald Trump is announcing that budget director Mick Mulvaney will be his next chief of staff. Trump tweeted Friday that Mulvaney “has done an outstanding job” in his administration and would take over next year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management…
Read MoreWar on Cops Producing ‘Crisis’ Level Shortfall of Police Officers in Minnesota
The national “war on cops” has produced a “crisis” level shortfall of police officers in Minnesota prompting state leaders to launch a new initiative aimed at combating these alarming trends. At a Wednesday press conference, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) announced its new “Wear the Badge” initiative, a…
Read MoreScientist Bullied By Fellow Faculty, Students For Climate Change Heresies Speaks Out
by Michael Bastasch Climate scientist Cliff Mass is speaking out against “academic political bullying” from University of Washington faculty and students, stemming from Mass’s rejection of a carbon tax initiative favored by activists. “Science can only flourish when there is tolerance for a diversity of viewpoints and ideas,” Mass…
Read MoreTwitter Dings 285,000 Different Accounts for ‘Hateful Conduct’ in Six Months
by Peter Hasson Twitter took action against more than 285,000 different accounts for “hateful conduct” in the first six months of 2018, according to data the company released Wednesday night. Twitter dinged more accounts for “hateful conduct” — 285,393 to be exact — than for any other violation of…
Read MoreLt. Col. Tony Shaffer Commentary: Terror Attack in France Is a Fresh Reminder of Why We Need the Wall
By Lt. Col Tony Shaffer (Ret.) The terrorist attack on a French Christmas market should serve as a wakeup call to America. The stakes are too high for Congress to keep playing political games with border security. We need to build the wall. Americans awoke Wednesday to yet another…
Read MoreTrump Tax Cuts Spur Unexpectedly High State Revenues
by Evie Fordham The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act touted by President Donald Trump is one of three reasons that at least 19 states are reporting unexpectedly high general fund revenue halfway through fiscal year 2019, tax policy expert Adam Michel told The Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday. “Trump…
Read MoreCommentary: James and the Giant Impeachment
by Julie Kelly For those concerned that former FBI Director James Comey is suffering from early dementia, have no fear: His memory returned with a vengeance during a Sunday night interview with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace. On Friday, under questioning by House Judiciary Committee members, Comey answered, “I don’t…
Read MoreInsurance Claims at $9 Billion From California Wildfires
Insurance claims from last month’s California wildfires already are at $9 billion and expected to increase, the state’s insurance commissioner announced Wednesday. About $7 billion in claims are from the Camp Fire that destroyed the Northern California city of Paradise and killed at least 86 people, making it the deadliest…
Read MoreCommentary: Michael Cohen’s Guilty Plea on Fake Campaign Finance Violations Does Not Make Law
by Robert Romano President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen never sought reimbursement from the 2016 Trump campaign for non-disclosure agreement payments of alleged mistresses of Trump’s. Instead, the reimbursements were sought and delivered from Trump’s business, the Trump Organization. Cohen didn’t think these were campaign expenditures back…
Read MoreApple Is Dropping $1 Billion to Put 5,000 Jobs in Texas With Expansions Planned in Major Cities
by Tim Pearce Apple is investing $1 billion to nearly double its workforce in Texas and is hiring thousands more employees in offices across the U.S., the company announced Thursday. Apple is adding 5,000 positions to its Austin, Texas, campus on top of the 6,200-strong workforce already there. The…
Read MoreTim Walz Snubs Trump As Democratic Colleagues Meet With President at the White House
Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) turned down an invite from President Donald Trump to participate in a meeting with the nation’s newly elected governors scheduled for Thursday afternoon. “The governor-elect is in Minnesota building his incoming administration and is unable to attend the meeting at the White House,” Walz spokeswoman Kayla…
Read MoreNew Minnesota Coalition Likes Jeff Johnson’s Idea of Building State of the Art Bus System
A new coalition of business leaders that launched at the Minnesota Capitol Tuesday plans to lobby state lawmakers to support a “comprehensive transportation system,” which could include $120 million in transit improvements for Greater Minnesota. The group, calling itself “Keep MN Moving,” is co-led by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, the…
Read MoreCommentary: Trump Picks the Right Fight With Pelosi and Schumer
by George Rasley President Trump surprised White House reporters Tuesday by calling them into the Oval Office conversation with Democrats that was originally designated as closed to the press. During the debate, both House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer protested that it was taking…
Read MoreSlate Magazine Green Lights a Strike by its Own Employees
by Tim Pearce The editorial workers and writers at the online publication Slate Magazine voted overwhelmingly to allow Slate employees to strike Tuesday. The final vote was 52 to one. Representatives from the Writers Guild of America – East, Slate employees’ union, and company officials are in talks discussing employees’ demands…
Read MoreMichael Cohen Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison
by Chuck Ross Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney for Donald Trump, was sentenced to three years in prison by a judge in New York on Wednesday. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley, is lower than prosecutors’ recommendation that the longtime Trump fixer receive…
Read MoreSuspect In 1987 Bombing That Targeted American Soldiers Leads Migrant Group Demanding Entry Into US
by Peter Hasson A suspect in a 1987 bombing that wounded six American soldiers in Honduras is leading a group of migrants demanding entry into the United States. Alfonso Guerrero Ulloa organized a march of approximately 100 migrants to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday, The San Diego…
Read MoreFormer Judges Call on ICE to End Immigration Arrests at Courthouses
Dozens of retired state and federal judges called on U.S. immigration officials Wednesday to stop making arrests at courthouses of people suspected of being in the country illegally, saying immigrants should be free to visit halls of justice without fearing they will be detained. Nearly 70 former judges from 23 states—…
Read MoreParis Climate Accord Backers Won’t Say if They Support Ban on Private Jets
by Michael Bastasch and Chris White Big businesses largely came out in support of the Paris Agreement on global warming, but most contacted by The Daily Caller News Foundation were silent on whether they would give up flying private jets. TheDCNF wanted to test the commitment of big companies,…
Read MoreGoogle CEO Splashes Cold Water On a Major Russian Meddling Narrative
by Chris White Google CEO Sundar Pichai appeared to catch Democratic lawmakers off guard Tuesday after disclosing in a congressional hearing the paltry amount of money Russia spent on ads on the 2016 election. Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler asked Pichai about the extent to which Russia used Google to interject itself…
Read MoreCommentary: Mueller’s Collusion Hoax Collapses
by Conrad Black The sudden death of the unutterable nonsense of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government, announced as it was in the hand-off to the Southern New York U.S. Attorney of the shabby fruit of Michael Cohen’s plea bargaining, has divided onlookers into three…
Read MoreMinnesota’s McCollum Vows to Oppose New Redskins Stadium Because of ‘Racist Mascot’
The Washington Post got the inside scoop Friday on a last-minute effort to sneak a provision into Congress’ spending bill that would pave the way for a new Washington Redskins stadium, but Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) is vowing to oppose the move because of the team’s “racist” name. According to…
Read MoreMinnesota House Report Thinks ‘Implicit Bias’ Training Should Occur More Often Than ‘Harassment’ Training
The Research Department of the Minnesota House of Representatives found in a recent survey that 20.4 percent of staffers and 19.7 percent of members have “experienced or witnessed” something “that could be described as sexually harassing behavior.” However, when asked who they have “seen subjected to sexually harassing behavior,” the…
Read MoreCommentary: Fighting Democrats Dirty Politics
by Karin McQuillan The midterms are in the rearview mirror and the chattering classes are back to debating fake collusion with Russia and a looming indictment of the president. Before the midterms, Republican voters were told this election was consequential. After the midterms, we’re told it is just one…
Read MoreEnviros File Lawsuits to Stop Trump’s Approval of Surveys for Oil Deposits
by Chris White Environmental groups are suing to prevent the Trump administration from approving seismic survey testing for oil and gas reserves off the South Carolina coast. Oceana and the Sierra Club argued in legal filings Tuesday that the Commerce Department’s approval of seismic testing violates the Endangered Species…
Read MoreCommentary: The Democrats Delusions Drive the Trump Impeachment Narrative
by George Rasley If the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle taught MAGA team members anything it should have been that radical Leftist Democrats and their fellow travelers in the liberal establishment will do anything and stop at nothing to get Donald Trump, or anyone associated with him. That is why…
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