Category: News

December 3, 2023 The Center Square

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in a Tucson, Ariz., prison Nov. 24, according to federal charges filed Friday.

John Turscak, 52, faces charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

‘Drones for Ducks:’ Federal Grants Fund Research to Use AI to Count Birds

How should researchers measure the populations of migratory birds? Researchers developed an idea around a campfire that was put to the test for the first time in Bosque Del Apache earlier this month, according to the University of New Mexico.

Each winter, wildlife managers must count migratory waterfowl as they fly down into refuges. However, this is a difficult task that involves scaring birds into the air by flying past them in airplanes.

Commentary: Where Are the J6 Committee Videos?

December 3, 2023 Julie Kelly

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal case against Donald Trump for the events of January 6 is inextricably tied to the work of the special House committee that conducted an 18-month investigation into what happened before, on, and after that day.

In fact, one could safely argue that Smith lifted much of the language directly from the committee’s findings to prepare his 45-page indictment. Three of the four criminal referrals made by the committee, formed by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in June 2021, are reflected in Smith’s indictment. As Kyle Cheney, Politico’s legal affairs reporter recently noted, “the words in Smith’s filing are almost verbatim the case that the committee’s vice chair, Liz Cheney, made at the panel’s first public hearing.”

Pope Francis Punishes Another Conservative American Catholic Leader: Report

Pope Francis is reportedly planning to remove an American conservative cardinal, who has been critical of the Vatican in the past, from his apartment over issues of “disunity,” according to ABC News.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, 75, was removed by the pope as the Vatican’s high court justice in 2014 and has been openly critical of Francis’ statements on LGBTQ issues and reform of the Catholic Church. Francis allegedly held a meeting with other Vatican leaders on Nov. 20 to discuss his plan to remove Burke’s apartment and salary as a retired cardinal because he is a source of “disunity,” according to ABC News, which cited two anonymous sources.

Commentary: Joe Biden’s Failures Are His Successes

December 3, 2023December 2, 2023 Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

If you were the owner of a professional football team, and you had just finished in last place for the third year in a row, one would expect management to implement serious personnel changes before the following season—that is if the team actually cared about winning.

Maybe the team needs a new coach that the players respect and trust to make the right play calls. Maybe they need a quarterback that doesn’t lead the league in interceptions and can run outside the pocket. Maybe they need an offensive line that will actually protect the quarterback from hitting the deck on every third and long. Maybe they need a kicker who doesn’t choke under pressure. Or maybe they just need their star wide receiver to stay healthy.

Analysis: Democratic Retirements Could Help the House GOP Grow Its Majority in 2024

House Republicans appear to be in a better position to capitalize off of a wave of congressional retirements, as there are more Democratic-held open seats in swing districts that pose an opportunity for the GOP to flip in 2024.

There are currently 31 House members who are not seeking another term in the lower chamber, including 20 Democrats and 11 Republicans — nearly all of whom hold seats that are considered safe for the GOP. Four Democratic-held open seats in battleground districts in Michigan, Virginia and California are most likely to flip red, while several other seats are also up for grabs by the GOP in 2024, according to political analysts and electoral rankings.

Commentary: Teaching Your Child to Read Is the Gateway to All Learning

When my husband and I decided we were going to homeschool, we puzzled over what might be his contribution. Our division of labor as a married couple included me as a stay-at-home mom and him as the primary breadwinner. Nevertheless, we wanted to find a way for him to be involved in the educational aspects of raising our children, despite his being gone all day at work. After giving it some thought, my husband decided on reading to our children at night as part of their bedtime ritual.

As soon as our first born could sit still enough to listen to a story, he began reading to her. As we added more children to the household, the bedtime ritual, already well established with our first, continued with each subsequent child. My husband sat and read his way through all of the books that had captured us as children, while our own children snuggled into their beds, listening attentively.

Major Automaker Says Union Deal Will Add Nearly a Thousand Dollars to Car Costs

Ford Motor Co. announced on Thursday that labor costs following a recent major union deal will cost the company around $900 per vehicle by 2028.

Ford, along with other major U.S. automakers General Motors and Stellantis, faced a six-week-long strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) starting in September, with all three companies recently voting to approve new contracts through 2028. The company expects the new labor agreement to cost an extra $8.8 billion over the course of the contract due to wage increases of around 25%, accelerated wage progression and cost-of-living adjustments as stipulated in the contract, according to a press release from the company.

Judge Hands Major Defeat to Transgender Lawmaker Suing Montana over ‘Unconstitutional’ Censure

December 2, 2023December 1, 2023 Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

A Montana judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday by Democratic state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is transgender, against the state’s House of Representatives after Zephyr was censured in April, according to court documents.

Zephyr was disciplined by House officials on April 26 for breaking legislative protocol after Zephyr held up a microphone to support protesters, several of whom were arrested at the demonstration several days prior. Zephyr filed a lawsuit against Republican state House Speaker Matt Regier and the House’s Sergeant of Arms Bradley Murfitt for allegedly violating Zephyr’s right to freedom of speech, but District Judge Mike Menahan argued that the legislature does have the right to discipline members who violate the rules, according to court documents.

Texas AG Ken Paxton Sues Pfizer for Misrepresenting Efficacy of the COVID-19 Jabs and Conspiring to Censor Public Discourse

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that he is suing Pfizer for “unlawfully misrepresenting” Covid-19 vaccine efficacy and conspiring to censor public discourse.

“Pfizer engaged in false, deceptive, and misleading acts and practices by making unsupported claims regarding the company’s COVID-19 vaccine in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act,” Paxton said in a press release.

Investors Pull Out Record Funds from China as Economy Falters

International investors have pulled billions out of China as the country’s economy continues to stumble and relations with the U.S. fail to ease, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Since August, international investors trading in China’s top exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen have pulled out more than $24 billion through a trading link in Hong Kong, according to the WSJ, the largest net outflow of foreign funds since the link was created in 2014. The MSCI China Index, which serves as a tool for investors to gauge expected returns in the country, has fallen 10% this year as China’s economy reports lackluster growth amid a real estate crisis and relations with the U.S. fail to significantly improve.

Pro-Life Nonprofits Sue Washington AG for ‘Unconstitutional’ Investigation over Abortion Reversal Pill

December 2, 2023 Just the News

Two pro-life nonprofits filed a lawsuit against Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Washington state Wednesday for conducting what they allege is an “unconstitutional” investigation over the group’s support of the abortion reversal pill, according to court documents.

Progesterone, also known as the abortion reversal pill, is a drug that is used to reverse the effects of a chemical abortion and is considered highly controversial, according to the American Pregnancy Association. The Obria Group and Obria Medical Groups PNW, Christian pregnancy organizations, filed the lawsuit with Alliance Defending Freedom after Ferguson began an investigation into the groups’ alleged deceptive marketing of progesterone, according to court documents.

Federal Judge Blocks Montana’s TikTok Ban

A federal judge in Montana has blocked an upcoming state-wide ban on using the social media app TikTok, calling it unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said Thursday the ban on the app, whose ownership has ties to Communist-led China, “oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses.”

Biden Admin Investigates Wisconsin School After Man Identifying as Trans Allegedly Exposed Genitalia to Four Freshmen Girls

December 2, 2023December 1, 2023 Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

The Department of Education (ED) opened an investigation into a Wisconsin school Wednesday after an adult man identifying as transgender allegedly exposed himself to underaged girls, according to an ED letter.

After a swimming class in March at Sun Prairie Area High School (SPASD), four freshmen girls were exposed to the genitalia of an 18-year-old male student claiming to be transgender who allegedly undressed in front of them, and despite SPASD being informed of the incident, nothing was done. Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) demanded that the ED Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigate SPASD after allegedly failing to address the incident.

Commentary: The Biden Family Grift and Hunter’s Fake Offer to Testify

December 2, 2023 RealClearWire

Hunter Biden’s offer to testify before the House Oversight Committee is a clever evasion, nothing more. The president’s son says he will testify only if the hearing is publicly televised. Nice try. Subpoenaed witnesses don’t get to set the terms. The committee does.

Why make an offer that is bound to be rejected? For two reasons. The PR goal is for Hunter to appear willing to testify, when he actually wants desperately to avoid it. The legal goal is to prevent, or at least delay, the committee from enforcing its subpoena. Hunter and his hardball attorney, Abbe Lowell, probably figure the Biden administration’s Department of Justice won’t go to court and demand compliance. That’s not a bad bet. If the DOJ does refuse, the House will go to court itself, but that will take time and may not succeed.

Commentary: Forget the Media Doomsaying — the GOP Will Be Ok

December 2, 2023 Just the News

If you follow politics and didn’t know that voters in Charleston, South Carolina, elected the city’s first Republican mayor in almost a century and a half, you can be forgiven. A lot of people missed it because, while it was covered, the legacy media failed, unsurprisingly, to recognize it for the landmark it is.

The scant attention paid to the outcome of that race compared to, say, the GOP’s failure to take over the Virginia Legislature is a discordant note that throws off an otherwise harmonious national narrative that has the Republican Party hopelessly divided and unable to win elections now that Bidenomics is working.

House Passes Bill to Permanently Freeze $6 Billion in Iranian Funds from Hostage Deal

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation to permanently freeze $6 billion in Iranian funds that the Biden administration had agreed to release as part of a hostage exchange with Tehran earlier this year.

The measure passed in a 307-119 vote, with almost all Republicans supporting it, The Hill reported. Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie was the sole GOP dissident and sided with 118 Democrats.

Israeli Intelligence Had Hamas Plans a Year Prior to Attack: Report

December 1, 2023 Admin

Israeli intelligence services obtained plans for the deadly Oct. 7 attack more than a year before it was carried out, The New York Times reported.

Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Passes Away at Age 93

December 1, 2023 Just the News

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman ever to be appointed to the Supreme Court, dies at 93.

GOP-led House Expels Republican Rep. George Santos, Now Just Sixth House Member in U.S. History Ousted

December 1, 2023December 1, 2023 Just the News

The GOP-led House voted 311-114 to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on the House floor Friday, trimming the GOP’s already slim majority.

China is Running an Operation to Get Americans Hooked on Illegal Drugs, Former DEA Boss Warns

December 1, 2023November 30, 2023 Just the News

Police operations from California to Maine have busted Chinese nationals operating illegal marijuana growing sites. U.S. officials have clear evidence China is providing Mexican drug cartels the precursor chemicals to make the fentanyl flowing into America. The Drug Enforcement Administration has substantial evidence dating back a decade of Beijing’s role in flooding U.S. cities with a wide range of addictive and harmful drugs.

Experts say there is growing evidence that communist China has launched concerted operations to hook Americans on drugs as part of a larger effort to supplant the United States as the world’s No. 1 superpower. Adding to the problem, the insecure border of the Biden era has only accelerated operations that have killed tens of thousands of Americans from fentanyl poisoning alone. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that drug overdose death rates involving fentanyl increased by 279% from 5.7 per 100,000 in 2016 to 21.6 in 2021.

U.S. Suicides Hit New Record in 2022

December 1, 2023 The Center Square

Suicides reached a record high last year.

Nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. died by suicide in 2022, according to a provisional report from the National Center for Health Statistics. The final count could be higher.

Consumer Spending Slows Down as Americans’ Savings Dry Up

Growth in consumer spending fell to the lowest point since March as Americans’ savings fall from the all-time highs seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

Consumer spending, measured by the personal consumption expenditure (PCE), increased by $41.2 billion in the month of October, an increase of 0.2%, less than the 0.7% increase that was seen in September as Americans cut back, accordingto the BEA. The cooling in spending follows a huge decline in the amount of savings Americans collectively hold, falling from over $1 trillion in May to $768.6 billion in October, far from the all-time high of almost $6 trillion in April 2020, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Anthony Fauci to Testify Before Congress on U.S. Response to COVID-19

Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to testify before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in early January, the subcommittee announced Thursday.

Fauci will take part in a two-day interview on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9, making his first appearance before the 118th Congress, according to the subcommittee. Fauci also agreed to testify in a public hearing, though the date of that hearing has yet to be announced.

Commentary: It’s Time to Unite Behind Trump If We Want to Win in 2024

The 2024 Presidential election is rapidly approaching. In many ways it can’t come soon enough. Americans have now spent nearly three painful years waking up every day astonished to learn that the Biden administration has outdone its previous act of insanity.

The shocking revelation, for example, that the Biden Administration is covertly flying illegals into the interior of the U.S. is quickly forgotten when new revelations emerge that the same Administration is sabotaging Texas’ efforts to secure the border—ordering federal agents to cut through the wire barriers erected by the state of Texas.

Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Gag Order

A New York appeals court reinstated Thursday the gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump by the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial.

Trump asked the appeals court earlier this month to vacate Judge Arthur Engoron’s order, which blocks him from speaking publicly about members of Engoron’s staff, along with the $5,000 and $10,000 fines imposed on him for violations. Associate Justice David Friedman temporarily paused the order on Nov. 16.

Biden Admin Pledges Millions to International ‘Climate Reparations’ Fund

December 1, 2023 The Center Square

The Biden administration has pledged millions of dollars to a de facto international “climate reparations” fund at the United Nations (UN) climate summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The fund, referred to by its proponents as a “loss and damage fund,” is intended to have developed countries transfer money to the developing world as compensation for the impacts of climate change. The U.S. promised more than $17 million to the fund on Thursday, according to Axios.

Commentary: One in Every 39 Americans Will Die of a Drug Overdose at Current Rate

Despite the passage of state and federal laws that were supposed to reduce fatal drug overdoses, the annual U.S. drug overdose death rate has quintupled over recent decades:

Over the most current year of available data, more than 110,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses, a rate of 33 per 100,000 population.

George Santos Announces Effort to Expel Jamaal Bowman from Congress

Republican Rep. George Santos of New York announced on Thursday that he will file a resolution to expel Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, even as Santos faces the threat of expulsion from the House of Representatives.

Santos, who has been indicted on federal charges regarding alleged campaign finance felonies and faced numerous attempts of expulsion by Democrats and Republicans, is facing expulsion from the chamber following a report by the House Ethics Committee that found “substantial evidence” he committed the crimes alleged against him. On Thursday, Santos told reporters that he would introduce a resolution to expel Bowman, who recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for pulling the fire alarm at the Cannon House Office Building on Sept. 30, The Hill reported.

House Panel Chairman Says January 6 Videotapes of Witness Interviews Missing

November 30, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

Videotapes of witness interviews that the Democrat-led Jan. 6 congressional committee conducted have vanished, raising concerns for the chairman of the successor House panel that is now examining security failures related to the Capitol riot as well as possible implications for upcoming criminal trials.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Reveals What Made Her the ‘Biggest Threat to Republicans’ on Episode 43 of ‘Tucker on X’

In episode 43 of his newest production, “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson interviewed U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) about her outsider approach to handling her job in Congress.

Jordan Issues Subpoenas to Ex-Biden White House Officials in Probe into Government Censorship

November 30, 2023November 29, 2023 Wisconsin Daily Star Staff

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued subpoenas Thursday to two former Biden White House officials demanding information on any role they played in censoring American’s opinions on social media.

The subpoenas went to White House Senior Advisor for the COVID Response Team, Andrew Slavitt and Robert Flaherty, the former Director of Digital Strategy for the Biden administration.

Inflation Has Cost Average Americans over $11,000 per Year Under Biden

Just to maintain the same standard of living that Americans had at the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term, households have to spend an additional $11,434 per year, according to CBS News.

Since January 2021, when Biden first took office, inflation has risen 17%, far outpacing the 2% per year that the Federal Reserve aims for, while average hourly wages have only increased 13.6%, according to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee’s (JEC) state inflation tracker. As a result, more Americans reported that they are struggling financially than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic as persistent inflation continues to take its toll, according to CBS News.

Trad Catholic Family Dragged Out of Home at Gunpoint, Locked in Van After FBI ‘Goaded’ Teen to Post Offensive Memes, Dad Says

A traditional Catholic family was allegedly “dragged out of their home at gunpoint, handcuffed and locked in a van” earlier this year after the FBI “goaded” their 15-year-old son to post “offensive memes” online. The teen, a volunteer firefighter and altar boy, was then hospitalized on mental health pretenses, according to his father, Jeremiah Rufini.

The FBI’s aggressive “investigation” only resulted in a misdemeanor conviction against the boy for breach of peace, but financially devastated the family with substantial legal expenses.

Biden Clocks in Biggest Regulatory Burden in Recent Memory, Report Says

The Biden administration has outpaced other recent presidents in issuing significant regulations that place a financial burden on taxpayers, according to a report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Under President Joe Biden, the federal government completed 89 economically significant rules in 2022, defined as those with at least a $100 million economic impact, which is higher than any point in the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations when deregulation is accounted for, according to CEI’s “Ten Thousand Commandments Report.” Regulations as a whole resulted in $1.939 trillion in added costs for the average American in 2022, exceeding every form of tax except income tax, which it rivals at $2.263 trillion.

Commentary: Hispanics Reject Biden’s Agenda

Joe Biden and the Democrats hemorrhage Latino support into 2024. In fact, the trend grows into perhaps the biggest single liability for the Left into next year’s election. The liberal site Axios sent up a warning flare, declaring the breakdown in Biden’s Hispanic support as “an alarming, re-election-threatening, full-blown crisis for the White House.”

The latest battleground state polling from my organization, the League of American Workers, validates that assessment, and points to potential seismic gains for the cause of patriotic populism among Hispanics this election cycle. Specifically, the latest survey highlights massive Hispanic dissatisfaction with Biden and leftist policies in the key battleground of Arizona, one of the most Hispanic states in America.

Commentary: Outlaw Public Sector Unions

Money doesn’t guarantee victory in political campaigns. For proof, look no further than Meg Whitman, the California billionaire who in 2010 squandered $179 million in her futile campaign to beat Jerry Brown and become that state’s next governor.

When money is married to institutional power, however, it makes all the difference. This is why, 10 years after the Whitman debacle, Mark Zuckerberg was able to purchase the presidential election outcome in 2020 for $419 million. Whitman’s money paid consultants and bought ads on television. Zuckerberg’s money went to supplement the activities of election offices in swing states – election offices that employed workers represented by unions that overwhelmingly favor Democrats over Republicans.

Judge Recuses Himself from X Suit Against Media Matters

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman on Tuesday announced that he would recuse himself from a lawsuit against Media Matters for America (MMFA) filed by social media company X.

Pittman did not state a reason for his recusal, The Hill reported. Elon Musk’s X sued the watchdog group over an article in published that featured images of ads for the platform’s major advertisers next to antisemitic and pro-Nazi content.

Democrats Versus Muslims: Liberal States Back School District’s Ban on Opt-Outs for LGBTQ Lessons