Month: June 2021

On Monday, a massive blow was dealt to the effort to have Facebook labeled as a monopoly and possibly be broken up as a result, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

Judge James Boasberg, an Obama-appointed judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, dismissed two major antitrust lawsuits filed against the Big Tech giant, with one filed by the Federal Trade Commission and the other filed by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general.

Data: Leaving Federal Jobless Benefits Program Lowered Unemployment

June 30, 2021June 29, 2021 The Center Square

A new report shows states that decided to turn away federal unemployment benefits have seen a drop in unemployment.

The Biden administration pushed through a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill earlier this year that included extending $300 weekly unemployment benefits for Americans in addition to unemployment benefits already provided by the states.

Tucker Carlson: A Whistleblower Warned Me That the NSA Has Been Spying on My Communications

Fox News host Tucker Carlson Monday night accused the Biden administration of spying on him in an attempt to find something scandalous to leak that could get him taken off the air.

Carlson told his audience that the “War on Terror” under the Biden Regime had pivoted, and was now “being waged against American citizens—opponents of the Regime.”

Biden Admin to Close Dozens of Migrant Facilities, Including One Accused of ‘Warehousing’ Children

The Biden administration is expected to close dozens of emergency intake sites used to house unaccompanied migrant minors, including one accused of “warehousing” children, CNN reported Monday.

Several children shared testimonials about poor conditions while housed in the emergency intake facilities on June 21, according to court documents. Their experiences have drawn criticism from immigration attorneys and advocates, CNN reported.

Biden’s Presidency Has Led to Lower Traffic for Media Outlets Across the Political Spectrum, Data Show

Media outlets across the political spectrum have suffered lower traffic since President Joe Biden took office, new data shows.

The data, compiled via Comscore and first reported by Axios, divides news outlets into “far left,” “left-leaning,” “mainstream,” “right-leaning” and “far right,” and shows all five declining from former President Donald Trump’s final months in office to the first months of Biden’s presidency. It shows that “far right” outlets like Newsmax and The Federalist suffered the most, with their aggregate traffic falling almost 44%.

Judicial Watch Sues Biden Administration over Cover-Up of Illegal Aliens’ COVID Information

Last week, the watchdog group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration over the administration’s refusal to disclose information regarding how it is handling the coronavirus among illegal aliens who are flooding the southern border, Breitbart reports.

Commentary: Josh Hawley Takes on Critical Race Theory in a Fight for the Nation’s ‘Soul’

June 30, 2021June 29, 2021 RealClearWire

Josh Hawley was just explaining how much he agreed with Barack Obama when Kamala Harris arrived. For weeks, the junior senator from Missouri had raised hell over who should head the federal agency that is the equivalent of the federal government’s human resources department. Hawley gave speeches and made procedural motions that deadlocked the Senate, ultimately resulting in the arrival of the vice president’s motorcade on Capitol Hill. That’s when Hawley lost the fight.

Homeless Encampment Grows on Church Property in Minneapolis

June 30, 2021June 29, 2021 Hayley Feland

An empty lot owned by a church in Minneapolis has become the location of a growing homeless encampment. Fox9 reported that the church’s chairman Andualem Emiro said, “They have no place to go, but at the same time I don’t think it’s appropriate to just go and conquer private property.”

Taking Back Pride March Called for Convictions of Other MPD Officers Involved in Floyd Death

Hundreds attended the Taking Back Pride March that was held in Minneapolis last week, where activists demanded that the other officers involved in the death of George Floyd be convicted. This was the fifth annual Taking Back Pride March in Minnesota, where participants came to celebrate Pride Month. The marchers also called for, “no police officers at Pride festivals, justice for those killed by police, protection for Black trans people and community control over police.”

Commentary: Is Trump the Future of the Republican Party?

People think of Trump Derangement Syndrome as mostly a phenomenon of the Left, and mostly unprecedented. It’s easy to get the impression that Donald Trump has taught the Left to hate as they have never hated, and that all previous Republican presidents were moderate by comparison and much more broadly acceptable to America.

But the Left was just as vicious about George W. Bush in his day, and they hated him just as much. He was called a threat to world peace, a devotedly evil man, a stupid man, or all of these: To quote a 2004 Slate article, “he chose stupidity. Bush may look like a well-meaning dolt. On consideration, he’s something far more dangerous: a dedicated fool.”

Minneapolis Opens ‘Parklet’ at George Floyd Square

Minneapolis installed a mini park at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago, the location of George Floyd Square where George Floyd was killed by former police officer Derek Chauvin. According to the city, the seasonal spaces, or parklets, are designed to slow nearby traffic and to provide an area for seating, flowers and greenery, bicycle parking, and art for the public to enjoy.

America Ranks Last in Public Trust for Its News Media, Report Finds

A survey released Tuesday ranked the United States last among 46 countries in media trust, falling below democracies and autocracies across the world.

The survey, commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, was conducted among 92,000 people worldwide, and found that among those in the U.S., just 29% said they trusted their news media the majority of the time. Finland ranked the highest at 65%, while Slovakia, Hungary and France each ranked just above the U.S. at 30%.

Biden’s Sister Appears to Capitalize on His Position with Book Deal

President Joe Biden’s sister will publish a book in April titled “Growing Up Biden: A Memoir,” according to an Amazon pre-order page.

Valerie Biden Owens, a close confidant of the president appears to be capitalizing on his position as president in the new book that appears to go against White House policy, Fox News reported.

“It’s the White House’s policy that the President’s name should not be used in connection with any commercial activities to suggest or in any way — in any way they could reasonably be understood to imply his endorsement or support,” Psaki said at a press briefing in January. “He’s issued the farthest-reaching executive order with respect to the ethical commitments required of his appointees ever and is very proud of it. And, you know, that’s something that he is committed to conveying to anyone it applies to.”

Supreme Court Hands Union Loss in California Trespass Case

June 29, 2021June 28, 2021 The Center Square

The Supreme Court has ruled that a California regulation allowing union organizers to trespass on private property to recruit agricultural workers violated private property rights.

In Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid released Wednesday, California agriculture businesses Cedar Point Nursery and Fowler Packing Company challenged a state law allowing labor unions a “right to take access” to an agricultural employer’s private property three hours per day, 120 days per year to recruit new union members. The court held that this constitutes a “per se” taking. They reversed and remanded prior rulings on California’s access regulation with a 6-3 vote, the dissenting votes belonging to the court’s three left-leaning justices.

In 2015, union organizers entered Cedar Point Nursery at 5 a.m., disrupting work during harvest season with bullhorns to convince the farm employees to join the United Farm Workers (UFW) union. Mike Fahner, the owner of the strawberry farm, did not grant the union workers permission to enter his property, nor was he given notice of their arrival. He was not legally allowed to ask the union organizers to leave his property.

University to Teach How to Address Social Justice Using Math Modeling

Kettering University announced a new “Math for Social Justice” elective will address climate change, human trafficking, elections and racial justice causes through math modeling.

The course aims to teach students how to use statistics and data to address various social justice-related topics.

House Expected to Vote this Week, Approve Pelosi’s Select Committee on January 6 Capitol Breach

The Democrat-controlled House is expected to vote this week on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to create a special committee to investigate the events surrounding the January 6 Capitol breach.

St. Paul Target Criticized for Its Juneteenth Display: ‘Missed the Mark’

A Target store in St. Paul came under fire for their Juneteenth display in their employee break room which had hot sauce, red Kool-Aid, and watermelon. Someone, presumably an employee, shared photos of the display on social media, leading to public backlash. One of the public comments called “every single Target employee who thought that the display represented Juneteenth,” racist.

Music Spotlight: Jeanna Paulette

June 29, 2021July 1, 2021 Bethany Bowman

Texas rancher, songwriter, and artist Jenna Paulette recently released her newest single, “Girl in the Country”, a song that is dedicated to country girls everywhere.

Advocates for Female Inmates Push Back as Transgender Prisoner Transfers Ramp Up in California

Advocates for incarcerated women are calling on California political and correctional leaders to halt and reverse the transfer of male-to-female transgender and nonbinary prisoners into the state’s women’s prisons.

Counting of Paper Ballots in Maricopa County Has Concluded, But There’s Still Work to Do Before Report is Released

The counting and examination of paper ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona concluded on Friday, but there is still more work to do before the full results are made public. According to one report, however, preliminary results could be released as early as this week.

The Maricopa County Audit Twitter account announced that they had finished counting paper ballots Friday evening.

FDA Adds Heart Inflammation Warning to Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines

a health care provider places a bandage on the injection site of a patient, who just received a vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration has added a warning to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine fact sheets that describes a rare but serious heart inflammation problem that’s now been attributed to the pharmaceutical companies’ COVID-19 vaccines.

Facebook Becomes Fifth Tech Company Worth More Than $1 Trillion

Facebook’s market capitalization, or total dollar value, closed above $1 trillion for the first time ever Monday, making it the fifth U.S. company to reach such size.

Facebook exceeded the $1 trillion mark after a year in which the company experienced massive user and earnings growth, CNBC reported. Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon – all fellow Big Tech companies – are the only other U.S. companies that have also surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalization, according to Axios.

Commentary: The Deprogramming of January 6 Defendants Is Underway

January 6 riot at the capitol with large crowd of people.

“My lawyer has given me names of books and movies to help me see what life is like for others in our country. I’ve learned that even though we live in a wonderful country things still need to improve. People of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street.”

That passage is part book report, part white privilege mea culpa submitted to a federal court this month by Anna Morgan-Lloyd, one of the more than 500 Americans arrested for her involvement in the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The 49-year-old grandmother of five from southern Indiana was charged with four counts of trespassing and disorderly conduct even though she walked through an open door and was inside the building for about five minutes. She was ratted out to the FBI by a county worker who saw her January 6 posts on Facebook.

Commentary: CDC Reports 51 Percent Increase in Suicide Attempts Among Teenage Girls2

Beth Palmer was 17 and dreaming of becoming a singer in March 2020 when the United Kingdom went into lockdown because of the coronavirus. One month later, she was dead.

“She was a wonderful, wonderful daughter. She was just funny, she lit up the room.,” said Mike Palmer, Beth’s father. “She was so affectionate and loving as well. She basically had the world at her feet. She had everything, everything to live for.”

Palmer didn’t die of the coronavirus. She took her own life.

Viral Video Shows Customer Blasting LA Spa After She Says Biological Male Was Allowed to Parade Around Naked in Front of Women and Children

A Los Angeles luxury spa is facing intense criticism after a biological male was allegedly allowed to parade around in the nude in front of women and children. Video footage that went viral over the weekend, shows a woman angrily confronting a staff member of the Wi Spa about a naked man who had apparently exposed himself in an area reserved for females.

“It’s okay for a man to go into the women’s section [and] show his penis around other women—young little girls—underage?!” the incensed woman can be heard saying in the video. “Your spa—Wi Spa condones that?!”

New Legislation Would Require Bodycam Footage of Deadly Police Violence to be Released in 5 Days

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive action on Monday requiring law enforcement officers to release bodycam footage of deadly incidents involving police within five days of the incident. The Governor’s Office says that the new legislation will “increase transparency and accountability” in Minnesota public safety.

The executive action will also allot $15 million in violence prevention grants. The order says that, “The funding will fill critical gaps in Minnesota’s public safety response as the pandemic has had a disproportionate response on communities of color.”

Over a Thousand Former Military Members Sign Letter Warning About ‘Wokeness’ in the Military

by Debra Heine Over 1,000 former members of the military have signed a scathing public letter warning that the increased priority placed on “wokeness” in the military is a threat to the Constitution and the nation’s military readiness. The letter comes after Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley…

Scenes in Wellington: Pictures from the First Rally of 45th President Donald Trump Since Leaving White House

June 28, 2021June 28, 2021 Laura Baigert

With just over a week’s notice, an overflow crowd attended the first rally featuring former President Donald J. Trump since he left the White House in January 2020.

Enthusiastic supporters were lined up at least 8 hours in advance of the 2 p.m. gate opening time, where they waited in the summer heat under partly sunny to sunny skies with temperatures reaching in the mid-eighties.

Commentary: Gelding the Left’s Trojan Horse

June 28, 2021June 27, 2021 Admin

by Thaddeus G. McCotter Across the Left, rage and panic reign. America has seen the Marxist and racist dogma undergirding “critical race theory” and, indeed, the entire falsely labeled “anti-racist” cult. And a revulsed America rejects it. Having pinned their hopes and put so much time, energy, and money…

Rising Crime Forces Liberals to Reckon with Their Stance on the Police

by Ailan Evans As rates of violent crime continue to rise across the country and once-safe neighborhoods face increased dangers, many liberal communities are having to confront their complicated relationship with the police. Following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, the defund the police movement attracted attention and support…

Republicans Question Motives of IRS in Ruling that Could Jeopardize Tax-Exempt Status of Churches

Several Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate sent a letter to the IRS Friday demanding the agency correct a ruling they say could have major implications for churches and faith-based organizations in the U.S.

Fifteen members signed the letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig about a Christian group in Texas called Christians Engaged. The group released a letter from the IRS stating that the federal tax agency denied the group 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, saying “Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican] party and candidates.”

That line of reasoning has sparked significant controversy.

Commentary: Four Signs Parents Won’t Be Sending Their Kids Back to Public School This Fall

June 28, 2021June 27, 2021 Admin

As disruptive as the 2020/2021 academic year was, it led to many positive educational changes that will be transformative and long-lasting. Most notably, parents have been re-empowered to take back the reins of their children’s education from government bureaucrats and teachers unions. Frustrated by school closures and district “Zoom schooling,” families fled public schools in droves over the past year, and there are several signs that these families won’t be returning this fall.

According to an analysis by Chalkbeat and the Associated Press, public school enrollment fell by an average of 2.6 percent across 41 states last fall, with states such as Michigan, Maine, Vermont, and Mississippi dropping by more than 4 percent. These enrollment declines far exceeded any anticipated demographic changes that might typically alter public school enrollment.

How many of these students will be back in a public school classroom next year? Not as many as public school officials hoped.

Business Owner Says She’ll Go Under If Border Restrictions Aren’t Lifted

inside of grocery store; close up of products in the aisle

The only grocery store in Point Roberts, Washington, will be forced to close if travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada aren’t lifted by July 15, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

Point Roberts Marketplace store owner Ali Hayton said the market relies on shoppers who haven’t been able to visit for more than 15 months and that government assistance did little to help the struggling shop, the AP reported. The store received two loans from federal pandemic relief programs, though the funds were used in a week.

“Now that I see that there is absolutely no end in sight, I can’t do it anymore,” Hayton said, according to the AP. “I cannot financially keep subsidizing all of this by myself.”

Largest Health Care Union to Fight Mandatory Vaccine Requirements for Workers

The president of the largest union of health care workers in the U.S. says it will fight companies requiring its members to have mandatory COVID-19 shots as a condition of employment.

The announcement came one day after Houston Methodist announced that 153 employees had been fired or resigned for refusing to get the shots as a condition of employment. Those suing argue requiring employees to receive a vaccine approved only through Emergency Use Authorization violates federal law. After a recent court dismissal, their attorney vowed to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

George Gresham, president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, is weighing the organization’s legal options.

U.S. Supreme Court Sides with Student in Free Speech Case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of free speech rights for students outside of the classroom in a decision Wednesday.

The court sided with former Mahanoy Area High School student and cheerleader Brandi Levy in the case, formally known as Mahanoy Area School District v B.L., with a 8-1 decision in her favor. Mahanoy Area High School is located in Pennsylvania.

Levy, upset that she had not made her school’s varsity cheer team, posted on the social media site Snapchat a simple message with explicit language expressing her frustration.

More Lethal Fentanyl Found Along the Southern Border this Year Than Last

Federal authorities have seized significantly more fentanyl along the U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona and California since October than they did in the entire 2020 fiscal year.

Since October, authorities have seized 7.000 pounds of the drug, compared to just 4,500 pounds in the entire last fiscal year, according to data from Customs and Boarder Protection. The reasoning, according to authorities, is simply supply and demand.

Maryland Announces over 500,000 New Potentially Fraudulent Unemployment Claims Since May

Maryland officials say they suspect over 508,000 new, potentially fraudulent unemployment claims have been filed since May.

The announcement Monday followed the state saying it has verified over 1.3 million fraudulent claims since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic.

The most common means of filing a fraudulent claim is identity theft, according to CNN.

Michigan Professor Among Those Declaring Correct Grammar Is Racist

Speakers at Towson University’s virtual “Antiracist Pedagogy Symposium” criticized university writing curriculum and programs for being racist and perpetuating Whiteness.

The event occurred on June 17.

April Baker-Bell (pictured above), associate Professor of Language, Literacy, and English Education at Michigan State University, argued that idea of Standard English among teachers is used to maintain racist assumptions about “Black language.”

Judge Stops Feds from Seizing Safe Deposit Boxes in $85M Raid, Citing Due Process Rights