Month: October 2023

Fox News At least 22 people are dead following a deadly shooting in a Maine city that spanned three locations on Wednesday night, Fox News has confirmed. Fox News has confirmed that the active shooter incident occurred at three locations— Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant, a Walmart store and Sparetime Recreation. Maine…

FBI Had 40 Sources Providing Intel About Possible Criminal Activity Involving Bidens, Grassley Says

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 Just the News

The FBI received information about possible criminal activity involving the Biden family from more than 40 informants over an extended period of time, but most avenues of investigation were thwarted, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed in a bombshell letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, released Wednesday.

Report: Ford, United Auto Workers Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike

The United Auto Workers union and Ford Motor Company have reached a tentative deal to end the ongoing strike, pending approval from union leaders. The ongoing strike has thus far lasted nearly six weeks. Exact terms of the agreement remain unclear, though the final deal could be announced as early as Wednesday evening, CNBC reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.

Israel Agrees to Delay Invasion So Pentagon Can Rush Air Defense to the Middle East

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

Israel agreed to delay an invasion of Gaza until the Department of Defense completes plans to boost air defenses around U.S. troops in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The Pentagon is sending nearly a dozen air defense systems to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to protect American service members from credible threats of attacks by Iran-backed militias. U.S. officials had asked Israel to create time to emplace the air defenses before launching operations that promise to trigger more bombardments on U.S. military positions, the WSJ reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

Federal Prosecutors Spied on Congress in Search for Leaks, Now DOJ Is Being Investigated for It

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 Just the News

Several current and former congressional oversight staff have been recently informed that the U.S. Justice Department seized their phone and email records back in 2017 as part of leak investigations, belated revelations that have touched off an inquiry by DOJ’s internal watchdog and raised serious concerns about the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

Over the last week, several current and former Senate and House staff from both political parties have alerted Congress that they received belated notifications from Apple, Google or other Big Tech firms that their email or phone records were obtained from their personal devices via a grand jury subpoena.

Johnson Officially Wins House Speakership on House Floor

The GOP-led House voted Wednesday to elect Rep. Mike Johnson speaker after 3 weeks without a chamber leader, according to the final vote tally.

Louisiana U.S. Rep. Johnson Nominated for Speaker, Full House Vote Expected as Early as Wednesday

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the House speaker nomination on Tuesday night, becoming the fourth candidate to do so after the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy three weeks ago.

Top Story: Federal Prosecutors Spied on Congress in Search for Leaks, Now DOJ Is Being Investigated for It

Top Commentary: Bidenomics Takes Its Toll on Biden 2024

Biden Admin Readies Plans to Evacuate Thousands of Americans from Israel and Lebanon

The Biden administration is readying plans for mass evacuations of American citizens from Middle East hotspots amid fears of significant escalation of violence in the region, The Washington Post reported.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens could require rescue from Israel and Lebanon if the war between Israel and Gaza spills over into neighboring states, raising the prospect of the largest noncombat evacuation in recent memory, the Post reported, citing four U.S. officials familiar with the government’s contingency planning. Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iran-backed militant groups throughout the Middle East have stepped up violence since the war’s onset and threatened to escalate further once Israel commences its planned ground operation in Gaza.

DHS Admitted Hundreds of Thousands of ‘Inadmissible’ Aliens Through CBP One App: House Panel

The Department of Homeland Security has been using a migrant processing app to release hundreds of thousands of otherwise inadmissible foreign nationals into the U.S. interior, according to documents obtained by the House Homeland Security Committee.

CBP One is an app through which would-be entrants to the United States may schedule appointments to appear at U.S. ports of entry. Ostensibly, its users must be in northern Mexico to schedule an appointment, though reporting from the Washington Examiner has suggested that users have turned to virtual private networks (VPN) to evade the geographic requirements. Moreover, the app has come under fire due to its alleged use by cartels in human trafficking operations.

TSNN Featured: Arizona Rep. Gallego Quietly Deletes 2021 Statement Demanding Israel-Hamas Ceasefire over ‘Human Rights Implications’

Government-Funded News Outlet Orders Staff Not to Call Hamas ‘Terrorists’

Government-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA) management has ordered its employees not to refer to Hamas as “terrorists” unless they are quoting statements, National Review reported.

VOA’s guidance originally distributed on Oct. 10 suggests that reporters and editors are allowed to refer to Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel as terrorist attacks or acts of terror but informed staff they should “avoid calling Hamas and its members terrorists, except in quotes,” according to emails National Review obtained. VOA’s associate editor responsible for news standards conveyed the publication’s guidelines regarding reporting on the initial attacks and the subsequent Israeli retaliation in an email to employees on Friday.

Court: Michigan Department of State Must Revise Election Poll Challenger Rules

October 25, 2023October 24, 2023 The Center Square

The Michigan Court of Claims ruled Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office must either rescind or revise a May 2022 Manual for election poll challengers.

The 15-page ruling analyzed four restrictions on poll challengers, including the credential form requirement, the requirement that communication only is with the “Challenger Liaison”, the prohibition on recording “impermissible challenges,” and the prohibition on electronic devices in the Absent Voter Counting Board.

Commentary: Bidenomics Takes Its Toll on Biden 2024

Drops in inflation-adjusted compensation and wages preceded the losses of Harry Truman in 1952, who opted not to run, Gerald Ford in 1976, Jimmy Carter in 1980, George H.W. Bush in 1992 and Donald Trump in 2020, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

They also preceded the historic wipeouts of Republicans in 2008 by Barack Obama and Senate Democrats in the 1958 midterms, and the Republican House wins of the 2010 and 2022 midterms.

Music Spotlight: Orlando Mendez

October 25, 2023 Bethany Bowman

I’ll admit that I don’t watch music competition shows like I did when I was younger. When I watch TV, it’s usually a mind-numbing procedural or mystery.

But thankfully, a lot of the people I interview got their start on a show and if they are country, they often find their way into my email inbox. Because the competition is so fierce, most of the artists pitched to me are outstanding performers. Orlando Mendez is one such artist and I feel privileged to tell his story.

Oregon Suspends Basic Skills Graduation Requirement in the Name of Equity

In the state of Oregon, high school students will no longer need to display basic comprehension of reading, math, or writing in order to graduate, with state officials claiming that such a change is necessary to guarantee higher graduation rates for minority students.

As reported by Fox News, the pause on such basic graduation requirements had first been implemented during the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic. But last week, the Oregon State Board of Education voted unanimously to extend the requirement suspension at least until the end of the 2027-2028 school year.

Commentary: Gag Order Against Trump Is the Real Threat to Democracy

The reason you have not heard of a gag order on par with the one imposed on former President Trump is that it is highly unusual. Normally, in a criminal proceeding, there are no gag orders. To the extent they exist, they typically only bind the lawyers, who are admonished to adhere to the rules of professional conduct. Rarely—as in almost never—are criminal defendants forced into a gag order on such spurious grounds as they might “vilify and implicitly encourage violence against public servants who are simply doing their jobs.”

Commentary: Gun Control Advocates Ignore What the Founding Fathers Really Thought

In all my years of existence, the Second Amendment of our Constitution has always been considered controversial. Opponents claim it is the cause of gun violence. Proponents assert that it helps guarantee freedom and safety.

Commentary: The Uncommon Ella Knowles Haskell

Praise for the “common man” is all too common in the world. It’s the “uncommon” man (or woman) for whom we ought to be most grateful.

Who in their right mind tells their children to aspire to nothing more than common or average? Good parenting is nothing less than encouraging children to become better than simply “run of the mill.” Since when is it a virtue to blend in with the mob, indistinguishable from the mediocre? Who itches to see a movie if the reviews suggest it’s just ordinary and unexceptional?

CCP-Tied Battery Firm’s Dominance Could Pose Major National Security and Espionage Threats, New Report Warns

A battery firm with considerable ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could pose significant espionage and national security risks to the U.S. as policymakers move to electrify American life, according to a new report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-partisan research institute focused on issues of national security and foreign affairs.

CATL, a battery manufacturing firm headquartered in Fujian, China, is a major player in the global battery market, as it already holds a dominant position in the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market and is poised to supply crucial large-scale energy storage systems to American utility companies to help them provide the decarbonized power grids of the future, according to the FDD report. CATL, which has subsidiaries based in the U.S. and several European countries, has already had equipment installed within a U.S. military base, and the burgeoning dependence on the Chinese company’s products may leave essential American infrastructure vulnerable to espionage and malware attacks, according to the FDD report.

UAW Expands Auto Strike to Texas SUV Plant

October 24, 2023 The Center Square

The United Auto Workers expanded its far-reaching strike on Tuesday to include a General Motors SUV plant in Texas.

About 5,000 workers at the Arlington Assembly Plant, where the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and other SUVs are made.

Tom Emmer Drops Out of Speaker’s Race

October 24, 2023October 24, 2023 Just the News

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer has dropped out of the race to become the Speaker of the House, doing so within hours of the Republican conference backing him for the post.

Trump Warns GOP Against Tapping ‘RINO’ Tom Emmer for Speaker: ‘Tragic Mistake!’

October 24, 2023 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Republicans against picking Minnesota GOP Rep. Tom Emmer to become the next Speaker of the House.

Minnesota Rep. Emmer Wins GOP House Speaker Nomination

October 24, 2023 Just the News

Minnesota GOP Rep. Tom Emmer, the House majority whip, won his party’s nomination for House speaker on Tuesday after five rounds of secret ballot voting. His nomination now moves to the House floor where it needs at least 217 votes to pass. It’s unclear when the vote will be held.

‘Tucker on X’ Episode 33: Col. Douglas Macgregor Says, ‘Something as Bad or Potentially Even Worse Than 9/11 Could Happen Here’

October 24, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

In episode 33 of his newest production, “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson interviewed U.S. Army Colonel Retired Combat Veteran Douglas Macgregor on whether the U.S. can engage in war with Iran.

Top Story: Soaring Interest Rates Are Squeezing Out Small Businesses

01: Biden’s Basement

Top Commentary: SCOTUS Takes Up Free Speech Case, Putting Biden Administration’s Censorship Regime on Trial

‘Deeply Opposed:’ GOP Reps Urge Biden Not to Take in Palestinian Refugees

Republican lawmakers led by Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen are trying to discourage the Biden administration from taking in Palestinian refugees, according to a Monday letter first obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman has requested that the U.S. take in Palestinian refugees after Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, killing, kidnapping and raping hundreds of civilians. The Republicans requested that Biden ask Egypt to take in Palestinian refugees and not abuse his authority to bring in foreign populations, according to the letter, which is signed by Reps. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Clay Higgins of Louisiana.

Michigan State Suspends Employee Who Showed Hitler Image on Football Videoboard

October 24, 2023October 23, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

A Michigan State University (MSU) employee was suspended Sunday after allowing an image of Adolf Hitler to be shown on the university’s scoreboard, according to The Associated Press.

The video was shown prior to Saturday’s rivalry football game between MSU and the University of Michigan, according to the AP. Alan Haller, MSU’s vice president and director of Athletics, released a statement Monday confirming that the employee had been suspended without pay and was under investigation, noting that the MSU athletics department failed to check the entire video before it was approved.

Bipartisan House Lawmakers Demand Biden Drop Julian Assange Case

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and James McGovern, D-Mass., are leading a House of Representatives letter demanding President Joe Biden to stop prosecuting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is fighting extradition to the U.S.

The two congressmen asked fellow House lawmakers to join their bipartisan attempt to “strongly encourage the Biden administration to withdraw the U.S. extradition request currently pending against Australian publisher Julian Assange and halt all prosecutorial proceedings against him as soon as possible,” according to a “Dear Colleague” letter, Fox News Digital reported Monday.

Soaring Interest Rates Are Squeezing Out Small Businesses

Small businesses are feeling the effects of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes as tightening credit puts more businesses and workers in dangerous positions, according to The New York Times.

Interest payments for small businesses will rise to about 7 percent of revenues next year on average, as opposed to being just 5.8 percent of revenues in 2021, according to the NYT. The Fed has raised its federal funds rate to a range of 5.25 percent and 5.50 percent following a series of 11 hikes that started in March 2022, bringing the rate to its highest point in 22 years.

TSNN Featured: Tea Party Patriots Action Endorses Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for House Speaker

Anti-Israel Sentiment has Permeated Biden Administration from the Start

October 24, 2023 Just the News

Even as President Joe Biden touts his support for Israel, many of his appointees have expressed anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments, even after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed more than 1,400 people, including at least 31 U.S. citizens.

“Biden has appointed the most anti-Semitic, anti-Israel people to important posts we’ve ever seen,” Zionist Organization of America National President Morton Klein told Just the News.

New Law Requires Filtered Water Filling Stations in Michigan Schools

October 24, 2023 The Center Square

Schools through Michigan must test for lead in water and install wall-mounted water filtration systems after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three bills into law.

House Bill 4341, HB 4342 and Senate Bill 88 establish the new mandates, and installation of new filter systems is covered by an $600 million state budget appropriation dedicated toward clean water access and rebuilding sewage lines.

Commentary: SCOTUS Takes Up Free Speech Case, Putting Biden Administration’s Censorship Regime on Trial

Late Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Missouri v. Biden, a case that may end the Biden administration’s circumvention of the First Amendment by outsourcing censorship to Big Tech. The case was initially filed by the states of Missouri and Louisiana, along with various private plaintiffs who allege that social media platforms censored them at the behest of federal agencies. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty ruled for the plaintiffs on July 4, enjoining the agencies from communicating with platforms about “content moderation.” The Biden administration sought relief from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and lost again, making a Supreme Court clash inevitable.

Tea Party Patriots Action Endorses Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for House Speaker

October 24, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

Tea Party Patriots Action (TPPA), a national conservative nonprofit, endorsed Florida U.S. Representative Byron Donalds’ (R-FL-19) bid for Speaker of the House Monday ahead of the House GOP Conference vote.

Commentary: Bret Baier Rips the Mask Off of Lying Leon Panetta

Bret Baier and his millions of listeners could hardly believe their ears last week when Leon Panetta answered Baier’s questions about the letter signed by 51 former “intelligence” bigwigs claiming the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.

Panetta is a former secretary of defense, director of the CIA, White House chief of staff, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and representative from California. And, clearly, a hard-core Democrat — willing to lie, and lie, and lie (see below) for the team.

More than 300,000 Illegal Aliens Entered U.S. through Southwest Border in September Alone

October 24, 2023 The Center Square

More than 300,000 people illegally entered the U.S. through the southwest border in September, according to newly released U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and gotaway data first reported by The Center Square.

Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations agents apprehended 269,735 people last month and Border Patrol agents reported at least 33,203 known gotaways, bringing the total to 302,938.

Outsider Libertarian Javier Milei Advances to Run-Off Presidential Election in Argentina

Argentina’s right-wing populist presidential candidate Javier Milei will head to a run-off after failing to win the first round of the presidential election on Sunday.

Milei and former security minister Sergio Massa will face off again in November in a runoff vote, according to the New York Times. The election has become a high point of contention as Milei has said he seeks to rid the country of leftist policies while his opponent, Massa, hopes to keep the left-wing administration that has held power since 2019, according to The Associated Press.

Americans Are Burning Through Savings to Keep Biden’s Economy Afloat, Experts Say

Under President Joe Biden, economic growth has been partly sustained by Americans spending through their savings on everyday goods, according to experts who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of economic growth, has remained persistently high, coming in at 2.1 percent for the second quarter of 2023, even as the Federal Reserve has attempted to tame growth through hikes of its federal funds rate. The main contributor to U.S. GDP is consumer spending, which has managed to notch consistent increases at the expense of the savings of average Americans, experts told the DCNF.

Commentary: 25 Traditionalist Books to Read with Your Children

One of the best things parents can do for their children is read with them. Even reading a few minutes a day makes a world of difference.

Literacy is not only the key skill required by almost all education formats but also one of the most influential factors in any learning endeavor. Even children too young to read independently garner an incredible amount from listening to books read aloud. They significantly increase their language skills, attention span, memory, visual awareness, and emotional response and regulation. And, of course, reading together offers children time to cuddle up with parents for quality bonding time.

‘No Speaker, No Recess:’ House Freedom Caucus Urges Republicans to Stay in Town Until New Speaker Is Elected