Month: April 2022

Soviet monument, Pyramiden Spitsbergen Svalbard

Survivors of communism are concerned about America’s future as they see Marxism spreading in academia and Americans being too cowardly to speak out and stand up against the ideology.

Human Events and the Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley recently hosted “Paying The Price: Victims of Communism Panel,” in which five survivors of communist regimes shared their stories and warned about where America appears headed.

Tatiana Menaker, a refusenik who escaped from the Soviet Union after not being allowed to emigrate, said that when she attended San Francisco State University, she “found such brainwashing machine of Marxism, which I even didn’t have in Russia, in the Soviet Union. American professors are all in delirium of Marxism.”

Commentary: MIT Bucks the Trend and Reinstates Its SAT/ACT Requirement

SAT multiple choice exam with a number 2 pencil

In case you missed it, on Monday MIT announced that they would be reinstating their SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles. Like many universities, MIT had ditched the tests during the pandemic.

Even prior to the pandemic, however, there had been a widespread push to abandon these tests to enhance diversity.

“Data shows tests like the SAT are biased against students from low-income households. Poorer students tend to perform worse on the test,” CNN reported in 2015. “Blacks and Hispanics also consistently score lower on the SAT than whites.” (CNN conveniently left out that Asian Americans score much higher than whites, presumably because it didn’t fit the narrative.)

House Passes National Marijuana Legalization Bill

The Democrat-led House on Friday passed legislation to legalize marijuana nationwide, eliminating the longstanding criminal penalties for those who distribute and possess it.

The bill passed primarily along party lines (220-204), with all but three Republicans voting ‘no,’ and all but two Democrats voting ‘yes.’

The legislation will now head to the Senate where it will likely face an uphill battle toward passage, but has a powerful ally in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is working with several of his colleagues to introduce a twin bill sometime this spring.

Commentary: Biden’s Budget of Taxes, Taxes and More Taxes

Inflation is running rampant, federal spending is out of control, gas prices are at an all-time high and Americans are pessimistic on the future outlook of the economy. So what is President Joe Biden’s solution?

He has released a budget proposal that includes 36 tax increases on families and businesses totaling $2.5 trillion over the next decade. Alarmingly, this includes 11 tax increases on the oil and gas industry, taxes that will put a burden on households.

The budget doesn’t even include all the tax increases being pushed by Democrats because the budget omits the cost of tax increases within their stalled multi-trillion dollar Build Back Better Act. Instead of detailing these tax increases, the Biden budget includes a placeholder asserting that any new spending will be fully offset.

Commentary: Parents Can Fight and Defeat Critical Race Theory

Critical Race Theory sign with a table of books

Five years ago, hardly anyone knew what Critical Race Theory (CRT) was, but now the phrase is a common one in American households. The Marxist-based theory advocating a race-essentialist approach to education, law, public policy, and even health care, seeks to deconstruct the foundations of society and rebuild it as “antiracist,” while discriminating against whites along the way. Many people are overwhelmed with both the pervasiveness of the doctrine and the large task of fighting it.

Parents in Loudon County, VA, have tackled the issue head on, making national news by loudly criticizing CRT and electing school board members opposed to it. Such efforts, however, have been piecemeal nationwide.

Momentum in fighting this hate-doctrine is growing, though, and many parents want to know how they can protect their children and eradicate such teaching from their local schools. Catrin Wigfall, a Policy Fellow with the Center of the American Experiment, offers some practical ways parents can fight CRT.

Ron Johnson’s Unanswered Corruption Questions from 2020 Loom Large over Joe Biden

Back before the 2020 election, when Democrats and their allies in the corporate media were still claiming the Hunter Biden story was a conspiracy theory or Russian disinformation, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson released an open letter to America posing questions to then-candidate Joe Biden.

Like most Biden scandals at the time, it mostly got ignored or ridiculed. But the questions were rooted in facts and evidence gathered over two years by investigators on Johnson’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Border Patrol Agents Accused of ‘Whipping’ Cleared of Criminal Misconduct, Union Chief Says

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the border agents accused of “whipping” migrants in September were cleared of criminal misconduct amid an ongoing investigation into the incident.

“The only reason that we know that they were cleared is because OPR [Office of Professional Responsibility] started their investigation and they compelled them to give a statement,” Judd told the DCNF. “Once you compel somebody to give a statement, you can’t take criminal action against them.”

Jen Psaki Will Leave White House Podium for MSNBC: Report

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will reportedly depart her official administration job this spring and join MSNBC, according to a report from Axios.

Psaki has been rumored to be in discussions with corporate media outlets for months. Her White House departure is also no surprise; the mother of two always expressed a desire to stick with her current role for about a year before pursuing other options.

Axios reports that Psaki has been in close contact with the White House counsel’s office about her imminent departure and has not signed any contracts that would put her in messy ethics territory. Though, sources say that Psaki has shared her plans to join MSNBC with some senior White House officials – the deal is reportedly close to being finalized.

Already Stretched Thin, Border Agents Must Now Use Politically Correct Pronouns Under New Edict

Battered by COVID-19, waves of illegal immigrants and fears of even larger surges ahead, Customs and Border Protection officers have a new burden: they must now be sure to use proper pronouns for LGBTQI+ migrants.

The new requirement was included Thursday at the bottom of a much larger announcement by the Homeland Security Department concerning changes instituted on International Trans Day of Visibility.

“Facilitating effective communication at U.S. ports of entry and beyond: CBP has provided a job aid and memorandum to all staff that will serve as a guide for facilitating effective communication with the diverse public CBP serves, including LGBTQI+ individuals,” the agency said.

Border Patrol Watchdog: White House’s Border Security Promises Ring Hollow

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the White House isn’t telling the American public key details about its assurance that migrants without lawful claims to stay in the country will be quickly removed as they prepare for a possible influx at the border ahead of Title 42’s end.

Border Patrol Officials Make Massive Fentanyl, Meth, and Heroin Seizures at the Southern Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently intercepted two smuggling attempts of millions of dollars worth of deadly drugs at the southern border.

Officers in Laredo, Texas, on March 25 confiscated over $4.3 million in alleged meth they found in a tractor trailer carrying waterproof sealant from Mexico, CBP said in a press release.

Iowa House Passes Bill Requiring Schools to Post Curriculums, Materials Online for Parent Review

The Iowa House voted 60-30 in favor of passing a bill that would require Iowa public and charter schools to post their curriculum and books online for parents to review.

Some educators have argued that the bill (HF2577) will limit their ability to “adapt and meet the individualized needs of their students.”

The bill will give parents the ability to review instructional materials and request that their children opt out of certain reading materials. If the schools materials do end up changing, teachers will be required to update the information online by week’s end or be subject to a fine between $500-$5,000.

Report: Elite Private School Encourages Students to Become LGBTQ Activists

A school bulletin board for a Rhode Island private school encouraged students to write letters to politicians expressing opposition to what administrators called the state’s own version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, according to a report from Parents Defending Education.

City of Chicago to Spend $12.5 Million on Gasoline, Transit Handouts

On Thursday, the city of Chicago announced that it would be spending over $12 million in handouts for its citizens in order to offset the rising costs of gas.

The New York Post reports that Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-Ill.) made the announcement at a press conference, revealing that the city government would spend up to $12.5 million to hand out 50,000 gas cards worth $150 each. The recipients of the cards will be decided via a citywide lottery. Additionally, another 100,000 transit cards, worth $50 each, will be handed out to residents as a temporary alternative to driving.

House Passes Minnesota Renter’s Credit, but Future in Senate Remains in Doubt

April 4, 2022April 3, 2022 The Center Square

Beginning next year, more than 156,000 new tax filers would become eligible for the Minnesota Renter’s Credit under a bill passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives Property Tax Division.

The House voted 10-3 in favor of the bill, HF 4064, which moved the credit to the income tax forms and streamlined income calculation, according to a House news release. The bill also revamps the Local Government Aid formula and increases local government aid by $68.4 million and county program aid by $26 million in the 2024-2025 biennium, the release said. The bill appropriates $22 million annually from the General Fund to the Soil and Water Conservation District Aid and raises the School Building Bond Agriculture Credit to 85%.

Donald Trump in Michigan: ‘Extremist’ Democrat Party ‘Waging War on Reality, War on Science, War on Children, War on Women’

April 3, 2022April 3, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

At a rally in Washington Township, Michigan, Saturday night, former President Donald Trump condemned the Biden administration’s release of documents that encourage children with gender dysphoria to have access to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and body-mutilating transgender surgeries.

Majority of Americans Report ‘Falling Behind’ Rising Cost of Living

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 The Center Square

The majority of Americans feel they are “falling behind” as the cost of living continues to rise, according to newly released polling.

The poll from NBC News asked, “Do you think that your family’s income is … going up faster than the cost of living, staying about even with the cost of living, or falling behind the cost of living?”

In response, 62% of those polled said “falling behind” while only 6% said their income is “going up faster” than the cost of living.

Republicans Take Aim at Colorado’s 7th Congressional District Seat

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Republicans are targeting Colorado’s Seventh Congressional district seat for GOP takeover.

The National Republican Congressional Committee announced that they are targeting CO-7. The NRCC’s job is to win as many seats as possible in November in the effort to attain a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Commentary: More Problems Envelop the Scandalous FBI

April 3, 2022April 3, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - Minneapolis Field Office

“You’re in big fucking trouble.”

So said an FBI agent to Julian Khater, one of two men accused of assaulting Capitol police officers with pepper spray on January 6, during a tense interrogation last year. Desperate to sustain the falsehood that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was killed by Trump supporters during the Capitol protest, the FBI claimed to possess video footage that showed Khater and his friend, George Tanios, attacking Sicknick and other officers with chemical spray. Khater was arrested on an airplane at the Newark airport on March 14, 2021 after he arrived home from a trip to Florida.

For more than two hours—shackled to a metal bar in a freezing room at the New Jersey FBI field office—Khater, who has no criminal record, was interrogated without a lawyer present. FBI Special Agent Riley Palmertree refused to tell Khater why he was under arrest until he agreed to proceed without counsel in the room, which Khater reluctantly did. Recently released video confirms Khater initially told the agents he “would feel more comfortable if I had a lawyer” answering questions on his behalf. An hour later, Khater again said he wanted his lawyer.

Abbott Blasts Biden Administration’s Latest Immigration Policy, Saying It Endangers Americans

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blasted President Joe Biden Friday for making what he called another “reckless” immigration policy decision to terminate the public health rule known as Title 42. By doing so, the number of illegal immigrants expected to enter the country will more than double those who entered illegally last year, law enforcement officials estimate.

“President Biden’s open-border policies are an unmitigated disaster for national security,” Abbott said in a statement. “His recklessness has forced the State of Texas to take unprecedented steps to fill the gaps – including deploying Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and over 10,000 Texas National Guard soldiers, jailing illegal immigrants who are charged with trespassing, and becoming the first state ever to build a wall to secure the border.

“Instead of listening to the millions of Americans that his administration has endangered – and instead of enforcing immigration laws passed by Congress – President Biden has chosen to jeopardize the safety and security of those very Americans he swore to protect and defend by ending Title 42 expulsions.”

Fox News Announces Caitlyn Jenner as New Contributor

Olympic gold medalist and former reality TV star Caitlin Jenner has signed on as a Fox News contributor, CEO Suzanne Scott announced Thursday, coinciding with the “International Transgender Day of Visibility.”

Scott said: “Caitlyn’s story is an inspiration to us all. She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience.”

Jenner, who was known as Bruce before coming out as a transgender woman in 2015, ran as a Republican for governor of California last year.

Biden’s Budget Proposal Has Three Huge Red Flags, Experts Say

President Joe Biden’s recently unveiled budget includes massive tax hikes, untrammeled government spending and “leftist” agendas, raising serious red flags, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Report Highlights ‘Compounding Effect’ of Pandemic on Student Performance

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 The Center Square

A new national report highlights the “compounding effect” the pandemic and remote learning have had on student performance, especially for the youngest learners.

The report from Renaissance Learning Inc., a Minnesota-based education technology company, found students have made modest gains since returning to the classroom, but have yet to catch up all the way.

Economy Added Fewer Jobs Than Expected in March

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 The Center Square

The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday said the U.S. economy added 431,000 nonfarm jobs in March.

That figure came in below the projected number of 490,000 jobs.

‘Genocide’ and ‘Eugenics’: Bipartisan Commission Releases Stunning Human Rights Report on China

A bipartisan commission released a report detailing Communist China’s gross human rights violations on Thursday.

The annual report published by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) determined that China had perpetrated “systematic violations of human rights” and that it posed a “challenge to the rules-based international order,” a press release accompanying the report’s publication stated.

Commentary: Scientists Discover Two New Translucent Glass Frogs in the Andes

April 3, 2022April 2, 2022 RealClearWire

A team of American and Ecuadorian scientists has discovered two new species of glassfrogs in the Tropical Andes of Ecuador. Glassfrogs are known for their translucent undersides which reveal their insides.

The Tropical Andes are considered the greatest of all biodiversity hotspots. Running along the western coast of South America, the region includes forests, grasslands, and mountainous terrains across altitudes from 1,600 to 16,000 feet! Many of the tens of thousands of plant and animal species that dwell there can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

It was undoubtedly this reputation that attracted the researchers to the area back in 2015, when they initially found the new species of glassfrogs. Juan Guayasamin, a Professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, and his colleagues have spotted the amphibians numerous times since then, but still, they haven’t been easy to find. Hyalinobatrachium mashpi and H. nouns, as Guayasamin has dubbed the frogs, typically occupy lofty vegetation along steep streams and rivers in the high-elevation cloud forests. Both have beautiful yellow and green coloration on their backs with clear spots. Most individuals were found on the undersides of leaves, where females lay their eggs, and where both male and female partners remain to watch over them.

Donald Trump Vindicated as Yet Another ‘Blue Anon’ Conspiracy Theory Bites the Dust

Corporate media outlets on Friday were forced to walk back their breathless reporting on former President Donald Trump’s “missing” January 6 phone records, as an official review of the White House switchboard records showed nothing out of order.

Earlier this week, it appeared that the “Teflon Don’s” luck had run out, and the walls were finally closing in. The Democrat’s January 6 committee had discovered a 7 1/2 hour gap in President Trump’s White House phone records on that day—which allegedly meant he was using burner phones to activate his plot to make “all hell break loose” on Capitol Hill and overthrow the 2020 election.

Commentary: Viktor Orbán Needs to Win

Viktor Orbán has now served 12 years as prime minister of Hungary, emerging as one of the most exemplary conservative leaders of our time. On Sunday, he again faces reelection as he seeks to lead Hungary for a fourth term. Although this is a pivotal election for Hungary and for Europe, it is also vital for American conservatives to hope and pray for an Orbán victory.

Orbán has shown what populist conservatives can do when given sufficient time and political capital to succeed. While it is true that Hungary’s system of government and its relatively youth as a democratic country have prevented the development of a U.S.-style “deep state,” Orbán’s refreshing willingness to use power for conservative ends has not only allowed him to deliver on ideological priorities but also to benefit the Hungarian people. His innovative family policies led to rising birth rates. His independent foreign policy has allowed his country to wield outsized influence with regional and world powers. And his fortitude on immigration has helped preserve Hungarian national identity.

Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of getting to know several leading officials within Orbán’s government, including now-President Katalin Novák, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, and political director Balázs Orbán (no relation). Like Prime Minister Orbán, they are unabashedly patriotic, Christian, and antiestablishment, drawing the ire of globalists from Brussels to Washington. Nevertheless, Orbán’s government is standing strong, refusing to bow to the diktats of international organizations and safeguarding the Hungarian nation’s sovereignty and the Hungarian people’s traditional values.

Opponents Blocked from Testifying on DFL’s Clean Fuel Bill, Say It Will Increase Prices

A Republican representative blasted a House committee chair this week for not allowing groups with opposing views to testify against a clean fuel standards bill.

House File 2083 seeks to bring California’s clean fuel standard to Minnesota in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2035. Enforcing the standard could raise gas prices by 20 cents a gallon, according to research from the Center of the American Experiment.

The House Climate and Energy Committee held an informational hearing on the bill Tuesday and allowed several pro-climate justice groups to testify in favor of the bill.

Biden Administration Endorses Transgender Hormones and Surgeries in Children

April 2, 2022April 1, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The Biden administration released documents Thursday that endorse children and adolescents with claims of gender dysphoria to experience “gender-affirming care,” including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and body-mutilating transgender surgeries, including elective double mastectomies and castrations.

Biden appeared in a video endorsing transgender treatments and surgeries for children.

Florida Teacher Sobs She Can No Longer Share Details About Her ‘Marriage’ to ‘Trans-Fem Person’ with First-Graders

April 2, 2022April 1, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The Twitter account known as Libs of Tik Tok featured a video of a Florida first-grade teacher bemoaning how she can possibly proceed with teaching the six-year-olds in her class when the state’s new Parental Rights in Education Act prevents her from discussing personal details about her “marriage” to a “trans-fem person.”

Solomon: How My Now-Validated Ukraine-Biden Family Reporting Began

April 2, 2022April 1, 2022 Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed veteran Washington reporter and editor John Solomon about the stories he broke about corruption in Ukraine, many of them involving the Biden family, for The Hill newspaper.

Although, there was a newsroom protest against Solomon, who as a news columnist had more latitude than staff reporters, an editorial review of his articles showed that all of them were factual.

Commentary: Hybrid Schools Are Reshaping Education

They’re not exactly schools, but they’re not homeschools either. They have elements of structured curriculum and institutional learning, while offering maximum educational freedom and flexibility. They provide a consistent, off-site community of teachers and learners, and prioritize abundant time at home with family. They are not cheap but they are also not exorbitant, with annual tuition costs typically half that of traditional private schools.

Hybrid schools are, in the words of Kennesaw State University Professor Eric Wearne, the “best of both worlds,” drawing out the top elements of both schooling and homeschooling while not being tied too tightly to either learning model.

Wearne studies hybrid schools and is the director of the National Hybrid Schools Project which seeks to better understand this educational approach and why it’s been gaining popularity in recent years. Wearne joined me on this week’s episode of the LiberatED Podcast to talk more about hybrid schools and how they are reshaping American education.

Solomon: How My Now-Validated Ukraine-Biden Family Reporting Began

April 2, 2022 Julie Carr

Although, there was a newsroom protest against Solomon, who as a news columnist had more latitude than staff reporters, an editorial review of his articles showed that all of them were factual.

Music Spotlight: Ian Flanigan

April 2, 2022April 1, 2022 Bethany Bowman

Ian Flanigan hails from Hudson Valley’s Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, not far from the site of the famed Woodstock festival.

But where you might remember him is from Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice.

I wanted to find out how he got from there to The Voice and now living just outside of Nashville.

TSA, DHS to Stop Using Gender in Security Processes

The Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security announced new, gender-neutral security measures Thursday.

The TSA will update its advanced imaging technology (AIT) at airport checkpoints with the help of $18.6 million from Congress, according to a press release shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. The new AIT system will be gender-neutral.

Biden Asks Congress to Punish Oil Companies Not Drilling More

President Joe Biden asked Congress to hit oil companies with fines for not producing energy on permitted leases as part of his sweeping plan to address U.S. energy prices.

“Today, President Biden is calling on Congress to make companies pay fees on wells from their leases that they haven’t used in years and on acres of public lands that they are hoarding without producing,” the White House said in a fact sheet on Thursday.

It’s Official: Sarah Palin Making Political Comeback by Running for Open Alaska House Seat

Sarah Palin, the Alaskan original who made Momma Grizzly Bears a political term of art as governor and then as the GOP’s first female vice presidential candidate, is officially making a political comeback.

Palin, 58, announced Friday night she will run for the open House seat vacated in Alaska by the death of longtime Rep. Don Young.

“Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years,” Palin said in her announcement. “I realize that I have very big shoes to fill, and I plan to honor Rep. Young’s legacy by offering myself up in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for, because I share that passion for Alaska and the United States of America.

Biden’s Labor Department Nominee Had His Nomination Blocked Thanks to Three Democrats

Three Democratic senators joined Republicans on Wednesday to kill the nomination of David Weil to head the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, Politico reported.

In a final vote of 47-53, the Senate chose not to move forward with considering Weil’s nomination after intense criticism from Republicans over his tenure in the Obama administration, Politico reported. Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, along with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, were the only Democrats to vote against Weil.

The U.S. Has Nearly Recovered All the Jobs Lost to COVID Lockdowns

The U.S. economy recorded an increase of 431,000 jobs in March as COVID-19 concerns ease and more Americans seek work to combat the surging cost of living.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 431,000 in March while the unemployment rate dipped to 3.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted the U.S. economy would add 490,000 jobs.

Commentary: A Biden Recession Is Virtually Guaranteed After 10-Year, 2-Year Treasuries Spread Inverts as Economy Overheats from Rampant Inflation