February 2021 - The Minnesota Sun

Analysis: The First Gulf War Validated Five Major Weapon Systems, All-Volunteer Military

February 28, 2021May 18, 2021 Neil W. McCabe

The First Gulf War, or Desert Shield and Desert Storm, which was a strategic failure, but an operational success came to an end Feb. 28, 1991 with President George H.W. Bush calling a halt to combat operations after the 100 hours of combined land and air offensive.

It was the culmination of months Desert Shield’s diplomacy and military build-up beginning Aug. 7, 1990, shortly after Iraq invaded and conquered its neighbor Kuwait. Desert Storm began Jan. 16, 1991 with a ferocious air campaign that prepared the battlefield for the last 100 hours.

It is important to record operations success in the ledger of a war whose memory has become awkward and difficult.

More Than 700 Kids Currently Detained in Border Patrol Custody, Report Shows

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

More than 700 migrant children are currently detained in Customs and Border Patrol facilities, according to an internal government report.

At least 200 children had been held in the facilities for over 48 hours and nine had been held more than 72 hours, according to an internal Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) report dated Feb. 21, Axios reported. The CBP is not allowed to hold children more than 72 hours, according to a previous agreement.

Commentary: The U.S. Post-Trump Era

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

These are only the opening days of what is supposedly the post-Trump era, and whether the country has really seen the last politically of Donald Trump is a matter that depends upon Donald Trump. The principal Trump-hate outlets are still pleased to refer to him as “the disgraced former president” but, of course, he has not been disgraced and there is no indication that he will be.

All of the Democrats and about a third of Republican officeholders are engaged in an elaborate and strictly observed pretense that Trump was a freakish and horrifying interruption of the normal, serene, bipartisan devolution of events in Washington. Like a dreadful meteor, he came and he went, pushed into the instantly forgotten past by a united effort of civilized Americans.

Commentary: Democrats Declare War on Conservative Media

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Henry Ford famously quipped, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” The Democrats take a similar view about what the public should be permitted to see on broadcast and cable networks. A Wednesday hearing conducted by the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology made it abundantly clear that they believe we should be free to view anything we like so long as it fits the Democratic version of the “facts.” Titled “Fanning the Flames: Disinformation and Extremism in the Media,” the hearing was primarily devoted to testimony from “media experts.”

Citing Wikipedia’s Capture by the Left, Site’s Co-Founder Launching Free-Speech-Friendly Competitor

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

A co-founder of Wikipedia is launching a competing website as a free-speech-friendly alternative to what he views as the increasingly monolithic left-wing bias of his former organization.

Last May, Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger wrote an op-ed on his personal website titled “Wikipedia is Badly Biased” claiming that Wikipedia’s neutrality policy — known as “NPOV,” or neutral point of view — “is dead.”

Analysis: Nine Things You Should Know About Ranked-Choice Voting

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Proponents of overhauling elections to allow voters to have a backup plan if their candidate doesn’t win went 1-1 at the state level in the 2020 election, but are looking to change how elections work in other states.

More than 30 bills on ranked-choice voting have been proposed in state legislatures across the country, according to Fair Vote, the nonprofit group that is promoting the system nationally.

FDA Panel Votes to Recommend Johnson & Johnson’s Coronavirus Vaccine for Emergency Authorization

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel voted Friday evening to recommend Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval, clearing the way for its authorization, distribution and administration nationwide.

The vote followed hours of the panel live-streaming its process of scouring over data from the pharmaceutical company in order to reaffirm that the vaccine was safe for the millions of Americans who will receive it. The FDA also released the vaccine’s clinical trial data on Wednesday showing that the vaccine was effective in fighting the virus itself.

President Trump Planning to Launch a New Super PAC

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump, at a meeting with senior political advisers in Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, announced some of the details of his plans for a new super PAC going forward, as reported by Politico.

The 45th president revealed that he plans for the PAC to be run by Corey Lewandowski, his original campaign manager from the 2016 election. The meeting where he explained these details lasted for several hours, and included such key figures as former 2020 campaign managers Bill Stepien and Brad Parscale, former White House social media director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino, and senior adviser Jason Miller.

‘We Never Agreed to This’: State Dept. Objects After Diplomats Given Anal Swab Covid Tests in China

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Biden State Department is crying foul after an unknown number of American diplomats were reportedly subjected to anal swab Covid tests in China.

“The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when we learned that some staff were subject to it,” a state department spokesperson told Vice News on Wednesday. ‘We Never Agreed to This.’

Minnesota Cities’ Police Settlements Ranged from $50,000 to $24.3 Million from 2018-20

February 28, 2021February 27, 2021 The Center Square

Freedom of Information Act research conducted by The Center Square reveals Minnesota cities relied on taxpayers to foot police-settlement payouts ranging from $50,000 to more than $24 million between 2018 and 2020.

Police settlements compensate the public for violated rights and also avoid clogging the court system.

Still, over the past few decades, taxpayers are being left with more significant bills.

John Durham Resigns from U.S. Attorney’s Office; Is Expected to Continue Investigation into the FBI’s Russia Probe

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

U.S. Attorney John Durham on Friday announced his resignation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but he will reportedly be staying on as special counsel in the investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation.

Commentary: Ten Crazy Examples of Unrelated Waste and Partisan Kick-Backs in New ‘COVID’ Bill

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Biden has proposed $1.9 trillion in additional COVID-19 spending. He’s asking Congress to authorize another round of checks, more expanded unemployment benefits, a $15 minimum wage, and much, much more. Over the weekend, House Democrats finally released the text of the 600-page bill meant to make Biden’s broad COVID proposals a legislative reality.

Commentary: #NeverTrump’s Kristol Begs Former GOPers to Join with Grampa Joe Biden

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Ever since Ronald Reagan’s 70’s and 80’s campaigns we’ve heard a lot about “Reagan Democrats”. More recently, with the rapid rise of the inimitable Donald J. Trump, the term“Trump Democrats” has also been a common refrain, even among charter members of the establishment media.

Steve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room: Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.

Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room: Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25, when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year. Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical, public health, economic, national security, supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET.

ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN Ignore Former Cuomo’s Aide’s Explosive Sexual Harassment Allegations

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

In their prime time news broadcasts last night, five major broadcast networks reportedly neglected to cover the explosive sexual harassment allegations made by a former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D).

ABC, CBS, and NBC, MSNBC, and CNN all ignored the accusations of Lindsey Boylan, who on Wednesday published an exposé in Medium detailing Cuomo’s inappropriate and harassing behavior toward her, (which Cuomo has denied), according to Newsbusters.

‘My Income Has Dropped to Zero’: About 45 Percent of Small Businesses Risk Closure Within Months

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

At least 13.9 million of the nation’s small businesses are at serious risk of shuttering their doors by April 1, a recent industry report found.

Forty-four percent of the country’s 31.7 million small businesses are at risk of closing by the end of the first quarter, according to small business group Alignable. Small businesses on the brink of closure expect to earn less revenue than their owners estimate is needed to stay afloat.

Founder of Chinese Front Group Spoke at CIA Nominee’s Think Tank Amid Beijing Propaganda Push

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The founder of a front group for the Chinese Communist Party appeared at an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in May 2016, where he pushed a pro-Beijing argument regarding a decades-long stalemate over control of the South China Sea.

The speech, by Tung Chee-hwa, the founding chairman of the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), was held more than 14 months after William Burns, President Joe Biden’s nominee for CIA director, took over as president of the Carnegie Endowment.

Minimum Wage Increase Disallowed from Biden Rescue Plan, Senate Rules Official Says

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Democrats aren’t allowed to attach a provision increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour to their coronavirus relief package, a top Senate official ruled, according to reports.

Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who oversees the interpretation of the chamber’s rules and precedents, decided Thursday evening that the proposed minimum wage hike couldn’t be included in President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan under budget reconciliation, CNBC reported. MacDonough had held private meetings over the last week with Democrats and Republicans, hearing their arguments for or against keeping the measure.

German Chancellor Merkel Says Vaccine Passport Has Unanimous Support Within European Union

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says European leaders agree on the concept of a COVID vaccination passport that would allow people to travel more freely through the region amid the ongoing pandemic and continuing health-safety restrictions.

“Everyone agreed that we need a digital vaccination certificate,” Merkel said Wednesday after a meeting with European leaders.

Former U.S. Olympics Coach Charged with Human Trafficking Commits Suicide

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert has died by suicide at 63 years old after being charged with human trafficking, the New York Post reported.

On Thursday, Geddert was charged with crimes including sexual assault, human trafficking, lying to a police officer and running a criminal enterprise, the Post reported. According to the criminal charges filed by Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel, the former coach could have faced up to a life sentence, ESPN reported.

Twin Cities Light Rail Ridership Was Down 59 Percent in 2020

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Light rail ridership in the Twin Cities metro area was down an average of 59% in 2020 when compared to 2019 numbers.

The Metropolitan Council, which runs public transportation in the Twin Cities metro area, released ridership numbers this week that demonstrate the significant decline in ridership across all modes of public transportation.

After Defying COVID Groupthink, Big Tech Censors, DeSantis Hosts CPAC as Rising GOP Star for 2024

February 26, 2021May 18, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

When Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis takes the stage to deliver a welcoming address at the Conservative Political Action Conference on his home field in Orlando Friday, it will be as a fast-rising force in the conservative movement and an increasingly plausible and popular contender for his party’s presidential nomination in 2024.

DeSantis will be followed in the spotlight on the first full day of CPAC 2021 by a succession of marquee GOP names vying to woo the party’s conservative base at the movement’s signature annual gathering of the tribes. Among them will be potential 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls and aspiring heirs to the leadership of their party’s populist conservative wing, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and Josh Hawley, of Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, respectively.

Biden Administration Releasing Hundreds of Illegal Aliens into American Towns, Untested for Coronavirus

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Biden Administration is facing widespread criticism from local authorities and citizens as its open-border immigration policies have led to hundreds of potentially coronavirus-positive illegal aliens being unleashed into American border towns, as reported by Breitbart.

Juan Mendez, the mayor of Brownsville, Texas, told the New York Times that “if it’s several hundred [aliens] overnight, then that’s something that would become overwhelming for us.” Mendez added that “the administration is very well aware of that. We’ve conveyed that on numerous occasions.”

Commentary: The Pennsylvania Case Is Not Only About Trump

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Supreme Court has always been an anomaly in our democratic republic. This now-powerful body meets in secret, wears uniforms, and has life tenure. The nine-member court has issued rulings explaining how Americans need to alter their views about everything from sex to taxes, affecting the rights of presidents and of prisoners. Recent Republican nominees to the court have been the unjustified targets of fierce fights, with Democrats making wild charges and ad hominem attacks. Of course, Joe Biden and his crew have put the court on notice that they will pack it, when given the excuse.

Commentary: Unions Fight Return to Schooling

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Sacramento

The little-known Oakley Union Elementary School District, in the sprawling suburbs 50 miles east of San Francisco, isn’t accustomed to national attention. The school board’s hot mic moment, however, during a video call earlier this month created widespread and justifiable anger because it captured the arrogance, stupidity, and condescension that’s typical on some school boards — especially as officials drag their feet on reopenings.

Salesforce Execs Caught on Video Canceling RNC, Project Veritas over Politics

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

In a 10-minute video, Project Veritas exposed Salesforce executives bashing the GOP for the mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol on January 6, just weeks after the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) company unexpectedly severed ties with the journalistic nonprofit.

The footage from virtual meetings held by high-level executives was sent to Project Veritas by a whistleblower inside the company, according to Veritas’ founder James O’Keefe.

Analysis: Why Are So Many Migrants Rushing to the Southern Border?

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Changes in Mexican asylum laws and modifications to U.S immigration policy combined with exploitation by smugglers are causing an increase in migrants at the southern U.S. border seeking entry, according to reports.

The Biden administration suspended the ‘remain in Mexico’ program allowing some asylum seekers to enter the U.S. and ended a policy preventing unaccompanied minors from coming into the U.S., The Washington Post reported. Mexico implemented laws banning migrant families from returning if facilities are full and smugglers in Guatemala are exploiting people saying the administration is taking a softer approach towards asylum seekers.

Rand Paul Introduces One-Page Bill Prohibiting Forced Unionization

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republicans Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Joe Wilson reintroduced the National Right to Work Act on Wednesday, which would prohibit unions from coercing private sector employees from paying dues.

The National Right to Work Act is a one-page bill that doesn’t add to existing labor law, but removes language from past legislation, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson said Wednesday. The bill was originally introduced in 2019 with widespread Republican support on Capitol Hill, but never received a vote.

New Jobless Claims Decrease to 730,000, Economists Expected 845,000

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 730,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics figure released Thursday represented a decrease in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Feb. 13, in which there were 841,000 new jobless claims reported. That number was revised down from the 861,000 jobless claims initially reported last week.

Ernst Introduces Bill Criminalizing Abortions, Hysterectomies Without Informed Consent

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is introducing a bill that would criminalize any sterilization or abortion procedure performed without informed consent from the patient.

The Iowa Republican’s legislation builds off a September 2020 whistleblower complaint that alleged mass hysterectomies were performed on immigrant women by Dr. Mahendra Amin without their consent while they were being held at Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. Amin, a rural gynecologist, has denied any wrongdoing.

Minnesota Seniors ‘Frustrated and Confused’ About COVID-19 Vaccine Process, AARP Says

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 The Center Square

Only 42% of Minnesota seniors, the group most susceptible to death by COVID-19, have received the first of two COVID-19 vaccination shots.

AARP Minnesota, which represents 640,000 people, sent Gov. Tim Walz a letter detailing problems with the vaccine rollout, saying it left seniors “frustrated and confused.”

Once-Secret FBI Informant Reports Reveal Wider-Ranging Operation to Spy on Trump Campaign

February 25, 2021May 18, 2021 Admin

Once-secret reports show the FBI effort to spy on the Trump campaign was far wider than previously disclosed, as agents directed an undercover informant to make secret recordings, pressed for intelligence on numerous GOP figures, and sought to find “anyone in the Trump campaign” with ties to Russia who could acquire dirt “damaging to Hillary Clinton.”

The now-declassified operational handling reports for FBI confidential human source Stefan Halper — codenamed “Mitch” — provide an unprecedented window both into the tactics used by the bureau to probe the Trump campaign and the wide dragnet that was cast to target numerous high-level officials inside the GOP campaign just weeks before Americans chose their next president in the November 2016 election.

Exclusive: Young Operative Targeted by HHS Nominee Beccerra Demands GOP Oppose Him

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Neil W. McCabe

A young California Republican operative and Coast Guard veteran targeted by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra told the Star News Network Senate Republicans are not doing enough to opposed Becerra nomination to lead Health and Human Services. “Xavier Becerra is by far one of the most ruthless, unethical and…

160 Confederate Monuments Were Taken Down in 2020

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

At least 160 Confederate symbols including statues were removed from public spaces following the death of George Floyd in 2020, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Of the symbols removed 94 were Confederate monuments, including a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that was removed from the U.S. Capitol building after 111 years, according to Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) data. The left-leaning SPLC keeps track of around 2,100 public parks, buildings and statues devoted to the Confederacy through a database called “Whose Heritage?”

Commentary: My Company Won’t Cancel You, but Big Tech CRM Bully Salesforce Might

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Craig Klein Salesforce has shut down the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) ability to send emails through their platform. Salesforce.com is a Silicon Valley-based giant in the enterprise software space with over $13 billion in revenue. The company was founded by Marc Benioff in 1999, who acquired Time Magazine…

Review: Stephen R. Soukup’s New Book ‘The Dictatorship of Woke Capital’ Explores Big Business’ Role in Pushing Wokeness

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

During the 2019 shareholder season, Justin Danhof, general counsel for the National Center for Public Policy Research, tabled a shareholder proposal at Amazon’s annual meeting. “Diversity in board composition is best achieved though highly qualified candidates with a wide range of skills, experience, beliefs, and board independence from management,” it read. Uncontroversial, one might think, but Danhof was booed and heckled throughout his presentation. Afterward, a representative for Arjuna Capital (which “works with high net-worth individuals,” its website says) told Danhof that he was simply trying “to protect white males.” A representative of the Nathan Cummings Foundation (with $424 million of cash and investments, on its most recent balance sheet) made clear that Danhof was unwelcome and should hasten, lest he be late for his next Klan meeting or book burning.

Report: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Plans to Gut ICE Immigration Enforcement

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has introduced a plan to “reorganize” ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations to the point where it will no longer be about enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, the Washington Times reported.

The Cuba-born Mayorkas floated this plan to essentially “abolish ICE” last week during a telephone conference call with agency personnel in Texas, according to the Times’ sources, who claimed Mayorkas proposed “taking members of the country’s 4,000-strong deportation force off the streets and converting them into criminal investigators.”

Biden Administration Is Lying About the Reason for a New Migrant Child Detention Center, Former Border Official Says

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

A new facility to hold unaccompanied migrant children was opened in Texas this week because the Biden administration is encouraging illegal immigration, a former border official said Wednesday.

The Carrizo Springs facility was not opened to comply with COVID-19 regulations as the Biden administration has said, according to former Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan in an interview with Fox Business.

GOP Lawmakers Demand Investigation into National Institutes of Health’s Relationship with Wuhan Lab

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Dozens of Republican members of Congress wrote a letter to National Institutes of Health Acting Inspector General Christi Grimm on Tuesday demanding a “prompt and thorough investigation” into the NIH’s relationship with a Chinese lab that studied coronaviruses.

The 28 lawmakers demanded Grimm investigate the total amount of funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) has received from the NIH, as well as whether any NIH officials communicated with the lab or its U.S. sponsor at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to quell debate surrounding the theory that the virus could have accidentally escaped from the lab.

Johnson & Johnson’s Coronavirus Vaccine Offers Strong Protection, Reduces Spread, FDA Analysis Finds

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine is effective in preventing severe and fatal coronavirus cases, and may reduce the virus’s transmission among vaccinated people, the FDA said in new analyses Wednesday.

The drug maker announced in January that its vaccine was 72% effective against the virus in the United States and 64% effective in South Africa, where a mutated, more transmissible strain has become dominant. Its vaccine was 86% effective in preventing severe virus cases in the U.S., meaning that a vaccinated individual is at a far smaller risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.

Commentary: Getting Rid of the SAT Essay Won’t Help Anyone

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

It’s official. Last month, the College Board announced that it would discontinue the essay-writing section of the SAT. It’s the latest in a series of recent decisions to reduce the use of standardized testing in college admissions. Proponents of the decision cited claims of racism and bias against underrepresented groups. But those claims don’t hold water. And ditching the writing portion of the SAT is unlikely to help anyone.

Commentary: Soviet-Style Equal Opportunity in America

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

It’s not every day that the subject of Soviet anti-Semitism—something my family experienced firsthand—is broached in the American media. When it does happen, however, unpleasant comparisons to certain trends in the United States are tough to avoid.

In a fascinating piece for Tablet Magazine, Julia Schulman and Michael Hsieh profiled several prominent Jewish scientists and mathematicians who encountered racial bias in admission to leading institutes in the old USSR. The subjects of their investigation defied the long odds, eventually rising to the top of their fields despite official policies excluding Jews from Soviet universities.

Banks, Financial Services Firms Next to Bow to ‘Woke Left,’ Ban Conservatives, Warns Rep. Ted Budd

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

A new frontier in “cancel culture” is looming on the horizon: Banking and financial services firms could ban conservative customers and others from industries targeted by the left, warns North Carolina Republican Rep. Ted Budd, a member of the House Financial Services Committee.

The targets appear to include Republican members of Congress who voted to challenge the 2020 election results (just as some Democrats did in 2017, 2005 and 2001 without facing financial backlash). Additional possible targeted industries range from fossil fuels and firearms to for-profit colleges and payday lenders.

Georgia Senate Approves Election Reform Package, Including Absentee Ballot Signature-Match Overhaul

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 The Center Square

The Georgia Senate approved four measures Tuesday that make changes to the election process as a response to November’s presidential election.

Georgia gained national attention after a close presidential election prompted three recounts and lawsuits and threats from former President Donald Trump’s campaign and supporters. Several questions and allegations arose from Georgia’s absentee-ballot process.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Suggests Bigotry to Blame for Opposition to Haaland Appointment

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

Without evidence, Minnesota’s Democrat Lieutenant Governor suggested that opposition to the appointment of Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM-01) to be the United States Secretary of the Interior is rooted in anti-Native American bigotry.

“Boozhoo! This is Peggy Flanagan. I’m a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said in a video on Twitter, urging her followers to support Haaland.

Biden’s Child Detention Centers Are Now Bursting at the Seams

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Government facilities that host unaccompanied migrant children are rapidly reaching capacity due to COVID-19 operational restrictions, causing the Biden administration to rely on a privately operated Trump-era facility in Texas.

An emergency temporary facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, was reopened Monday and around 200 migrant children were transported to the facility that will hold up to 700 migrant teenagers due to permanent facilities reaching maximum capacity and increasing apprehensions of unaccompanied children, CBS News reported. U.S. Border Patrol encountered over 5,700 unaccompanied minors in January 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Commentary: The Voter Manipulation Scheme That May Have Clinched the Georgia Runoffs for Democrats

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

For the legacy media, the story of Democrats’ recent wins in Georgia is the story of Stacey Abrams. According to this narrative, after Abrams lost the 2018 gubernatorial race, she launched Fair Fight to stop Republicans from allegedly engaging in voter suppression and to register thousands of new voters.

When Georgia turned blue in 2020, Abrams received much of the credit. The story goes Democrats are now winning because they are making democracy better.

Big Tech Employees Donated More to Biden’s Campaign Than Any Other Sector

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Employees at Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, donated at least $15.1 million to President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, according to Open Secrets.

The donations eclipsed the amount given from employees in the banking and legal sectors, according to The Wall Street Journal. The five companies were also the largest fundraising sources for Biden’s campaign.

Amazon Stops Selling Book Critical of Transgender Movement

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Amazon has removed from its cybershelves a book with “thoughtful answers to questions” about transgenderism—without informing the author and without explanation.

“When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” by Ryan T. Anderson, a former senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation and now president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, contends that ideology is more of a factor than biology in American society’s acceptance of transgenderism.

Opposition Grows Against Neera Tanden, Jeopardizing Her Path to Confirmation

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Senate confirmation for Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, is becoming increasingly unlikely after one Democrat and key Republicans announced that they would vote against her.

Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Rob Portman and Pat Toomey all said that they would vote against Tanden’s confirmation, joining West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin who announced his opposition Sunday. Without Manchin, Tanden would fall one vote short of confirmation, assuming that every Republican votes against her.