Month: October 2023

Feds Warn in Friday Memo: Hamas, Hezbollah Could Be Crossing Southern Border

Michigan Star Staff

Federal officials are warning that members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hezbollah could be crossing through the southern border, according to an internal Oct. 20 memo exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The San Diego Field Office Intelligence Division of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sent the memo warning that due to the war between Israel and Hamas, there could be encounters of terror-tied individuals who are seeking to travel to or from the Middle East via transit across the southern border. Hamas, PIJ and Hezbollah, all of which are U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, have been committing attacks on Israel in a war that began with a surprise attack on hundreds of civilians on Oct. 7.

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New Pentagon Memo Reveals Almost 300 Reports of Potential UFO Encounters Since August 2022

Just the News

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Defense publicly released the 2023 report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)—colloquially known as UFOs—which revealed that there have been almost 300 reports of potential UAP observed, with some cases of UAP exhibiting “high-speed travel or unusual maneuverability.”

The report, titled “Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” was released by the Department of Defense for open publication along with charts detailing trends in UAP reporting which included the typically-reported characteristics of the objects as well as a heat map their locations.

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U.S. to Roll Out $3.5 Billion in New Projects to Strengthen Electric Grid

Michigan Star Staff

On Wednesday, the Biden Administration announced another round of spending on energy projects across the country, aimed at strengthening the nation’s weakened electric grid in the face of several major natural disasters.

As Fox News reports, the administration plans to spend at least $3.5 billion on 58 different projects across the country, as the electric grid deals with the strain of such disasters as wildfires in Maui and California.

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Alan Dershowitz Commentary: Harvard Must Condemn Pro-Hamas Students

Michigan Star Staff
Outside of Harvard Law School

There’s an ongoing debate on university campuses about whether and how to respond to students who support, defend or even praise what Hamas terrorists deliberately did to innocent Israeli children, the elderly and other civilians.

On the one hand, there are free-speech and academic-freedom considerations.

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In California, Violent Crime Rises While Arrests Fall

Michigan Star Staff

New crime statistics reveal that in the state of California, violent crime has risen sharply while arrests have fallen, despite a decrease in violent crime nationwide.

As reported by Just The News, the newly-released FBI statistics show that, from 2021 to 2022, the rate of violent crime in California for every 100,000 people rose from 481.2 to 499.5, despite a nationwide decrease from 387 to 380.7. Meanwhile, arrests declined all over the state, falling dramatically below pre-pandemic levels.

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Commentary: Notorious Southern Poverty Law Center Tries to Blacklist Turning Point USA, Project Veritas from Donor-Advised Funds

Michigan Star Staff

by Tyler O’Neil   The Southern Poverty Law Center routinely attempts to shame charities into blacklisting conservative nonprofits to defund the SPLC’s ideological opponents, whom it brands as hateful. This week, the SPLC released a report condemning six donor-advised funds for directing money to “extremist finance.” The report aims to shame the charity…

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736 Known or Suspected Terrorists Apprehended at U.S. Border in Fiscal 2023

The Center Square

There were 736 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern and southern borders in fiscal 2023.

The Center Square initially reported 659 were apprehended for the fiscal year, as of Sept. 15, 2023. The fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

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Common Themes on Energy Policy Emerge Among Republican Presidential Candidates

Just the News

by Kevin Killough   In the past few years, America has seen high inflation rates and a faltering economy that some observers say will go into a recession. The latest conflict in the Middle East could likely pose a significant disruption in global energy supplies. Where the GOP contenders stand on energy policies…

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U.S. Urges Americans to Flee Lebanon, Accuses Hamas of Blocking Americans from Leaving Gaza

Just the News

by John Solomon   The State Department on Sunday night urged U.S. citizens to depart from Lebanon because of an “unpredictable security situation” while accusing Hamas of blocking Americans from fleeing Gaza ahead of an expected Israeli offensive. “To date, at least, Hamas has blocked them (Americans) from leaving, showing once…

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Biden Admin Reports Over 3 Million Illegal Aliens Cross America’s Borders in Single Year

Michigan Star Staff

For the first time ever, U.S. border agents encountered over 3.2 million illegal aliens on America’s borders in a single fiscal year, a number that is greater than the combined population of Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CPB, reported Saturday that agents encountered 3,201,144 illegal immigrants at or between ports of entry to the country between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023. (The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October through September.)

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New York A.G. Flouts Court Orders by Pressuring Social Media to Censor ‘Hateful’ Speech, Lawyers Say

Just the News

Free speech battles over Hamas terrorism against Israeli civilians and the Jewish state’s military response aren’t just roiling college campuses such as New York University, which is investigating its law school’s student body president for using her office to blame Israel.

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Supreme Court Takes Up Landmark Government Censorship Case

Michigan Star Staff

The Supreme Court on Friday took up Missouri v. Biden, the free speech case challenging the Biden administration’s efforts to censor content on social media, while issuing a pause on a preliminary injunction granted by a lower court.

Republican attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana sued the Biden administration over its communications with social media companies related to the suppression of online speech, arguing it violated the First Amendment. District of Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty issued an injunction in July blocking certain parts of President Joe Biden’s administration from colluding with social media platforms to censor content online. The Supreme Court paused the injunction, but agreed to take up the case, according to the court order.

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D.C. Judge Pauses Trump Gag Order in January 6 Case

Just the News

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday agreed to temporarily pause a gag order she imposed on former President Donald Trump while he appeals the decision.

Chutkan on Monday issued the order, prohibiting him from publicly attacking the court staff, the prosecution, and any potential witnesses. The judge is overseeing special counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 case against the former president. Trump has vocally accused Smith of pursuing a political witch hunt against him to derail his 2024 White House bid.

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‘The Chosen’ Season Four to Debut in Theaters This February

Michigan Star Staff

“I know it’s hard,” Jesus (played by Jonathan Roumie) says in a voiceover for “The Chosen’s” Season 4 teaser. “Man makes it much harder when he leans on his own understanding.” 

The smash hit’s fourth season premieres in theaters on Feb. 1, 2024, producers announced Monday. The rollout will begin in the U.S. and Canada with a two-week run of episodes 1-3 on Feb. 1, followed by episodes 4-6 beginning Feb. 15, and Episodes 7-8 beginning Feb. 29, according to a news release. 

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Commentary: The Reason the Department of Education Is Afraid of Innovation in Higher Ed

Michigan Star Staff

Online learning has revolutionized higher education, but a recent move by the federal Department of Education is threatening to tear down systems that are helping millions of students learn.

An extremely wide diversity of students choose to take online courses or to get entire online degrees. Colleges that offer them need to be nimble as the economy changes, yet traditional colleges are slow to change, and they often lack the expertise and funding to develop and manage online courses independently.

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Report: Murder Rate Is Higher in Blue Counties than in Red Ones

Michigan Star Staff

A new report from a conservative think tank reveals that the rate of homicides have consistently been higher in Democrat-run counties than Republican-run ones since 2002.

According to Fox News, the report from the Heritage Foundation directly contradicts an unproven claim that has been repeated by many Democrats claiming that the opposite is true. California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) recently said that “8 of the top 10 murder states are red,” while far-left billionaire George Soros similarly and falsely claimed that “murder rates have been rising fastest in some Republican states led by tough-on-crime politicians.”

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Pentagon: US Recorded Nearly 200 Risky Encounters with Chinese Aircraft over Last 2 Years

Michigan Star Staff

The Department of Defense (DOD) issued a statement revealing that American aircraft have had roughly 180 hostile encounters with Chinese aircraft over the last two years.

Fox News reports that Pentagon officials published evidence of this trend during a press conference on Tuesday, with Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner saying that “since the fall of 2021, we have seen more than 180 such incidents.”

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Trump Endorses Jim Justice in West Virginia Senate Race

Just the News

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice in the state’s 2024 Senate race.

Justice, the state’s two-term governor, is currently seeking the Republican nomination and faces Rep. Alex Mooney in that contest. The winner of the primary will go on to seek the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who has yet to announce his reelection plans.

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Commentary: Malicious Mitt Romney

Michigan Star Staff

Throughout his unremarkable political career, Mitt Romney carefully cultivated the image of the ultimate “nice guy.” Handsome and credentialed, Romney presents himself as some sort of perfect, milquetoast functionary. Governor Romney, then Senator Romney – the perfectly unexceptional, inoffensive face to serve as advocate for Ruling Class prerogatives.

But in these late innings of his public life, Mitt shows his inner malice. In his quotes provided to biographer McKay Coppins for a new book on Romney, Mitt finally went on-the-record to express his disdain for people he publicly flattered, and his revulsion for the conservative movement he supposedly represented.

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Ambassador Callista Gingrich Commentary: Remembering the American Icon Suzanne Somers

Michigan Star Staff

This past week, we lost an American icon – Suzanne Somers.

As Ambassador to the Holy See in 2019, I had the honor of traveling with a U.S. delegation, including Suzanne and her husband, Alan Hamel, on a trip to Krakow, Poland, to participate in the March of the Living.  We walked alongside 10,000 participants from Auschwitz to Birkenau to remember the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust and to honor the heroes and survivors of the Second World War. Throughout the trip, I was struck by Suzanne’s grace, authenticity, humor, and kindness. 

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Alaska Sues Biden Admin over Canceled Oil Leases

Michigan Star Staff

Alaska is suing the Biden administration for cancelling oil and gas leases sold in the state under the Trump administration.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) formally filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior on Wednesday, a move which it had promised to make in response to DOI’s September decision to retroactively cancel seven oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The DOI hailed the cancellations as a strong action to protect the environment, but industry groups and political officials slammed the revocations for their questionable legality and effects on the U.S. energy sector.

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‘Tucker on X’ Episode 32: ‘The Whole George Floyd Story Was a Lie’

Kaitlin Housler

In episode 32 of his newest production “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson declared “the whole George Floyd story was a lie” and discussed with Vince Everett Ellison how the Democratic Party uses men like Floyd to advance its agenda and maintain power.

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Hamas Releases Two American Hostages

Michigan Star Staff

Hamas released two American hostages on Friday after detaining the U.S. citizens since it carried out terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, the State Department said.

Hamas said it released a mother and her daughter, both American citizens, for humanitarian reasons and to spite the Biden administration’s claims about Hamas’ atrocities, Hamas said in an English-language statement on Friday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later confirmed that two American hostages were transferred out of Hamas custody around 3 p.m. EST.

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Vivek Ramaswamy Calls on Lawmakers to Vote Against President Biden’s Lump Aid Package Request for Israel, Ukraine

Kaitlin Housler

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy released a statement calling on federal lawmakers to vote against President Joe Biden’s request for Congress to fund an lump aid package for both Ukraine and Israel.

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Joe Biden Paid Nearly $2.75 Million Cash for Rehoboth Beach House Within Weeks of Hunter Sending ‘Threatening’ Text to Chinese Business Partner Demanding to Close $10 Million Deal

Admin

Daily Mail It’s Joe Biden‘s favorite place – his summer home in Delaware where he has decamped dozens of times during his 1,000 days as Commander-in-Chief. As DailyMail.com revealed on Tuesday he has spent at least 300 of those days either in the country’s second smallest state or on vacation. He bought the home at…

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Trump Gaining Ground with Young Voters: Poll

Michigan Star Staff

Former President Donald Trump is gaining ground with young voters ahead of 2024, and is faring better than President Joe Biden among the electorate, according to a Friday poll.

Trump is leading Biden among voters aged 18 to 29 by 2 points, as well as with 30- to 39-year-olds by 11 points, according to an Emerson College survey. Trump is also leading Biden in a head-to-head matchup 47% to 45% nationally, with 8% remaining undecided.

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Campus Speech Codes Used Against Students Who Dismiss Hamas Terrorism as Israel’s Fault

Just the News

A mile and a half from the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, a free speech battle is raging over the worst terrorist attack on Israeli soil.

New York University is under fire from critics of Israel and civil libertarians for its response to pro-Palestine student activism in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter and kidnapping of Israeli civilians and Israel’s resulting Gaza offensive.

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DOJ Charges Chinese National Who Operated Illegal Biolab in California

Michigan Star Staff

The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged a Chinese national on Thursday for crimes related to operating an illegal biolab in California, according to a press release.

Jia Bei Zhu, 62, was arrested for “manufacturing and distributing misbranded medical devices in violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and for making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” according to a DOJ press release. Between April and June 2023, officials in Fresno, California, discovered at least 20 potentially infectious agents, such as HIV and Malaria, as well as mice genetically engineered to carry COVID-19, at an “unlicensed” laboratory in Reedley, California, operated by Prestige Biotech Inc. (PBI), the successor of defunct Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI), Fresno County court records state.

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Commentary: The People in Charge of Our Money Supply Have No Idea What They’re Doing

Michigan Star Staff

If you still think the people running America’s central bank understand inflation and interest rates, think again.

A prime example is Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Austan Goolsbee, who was wrong about inflation and is now wrong about interest rates and a soft landing for the economy. He is an ideologue clearly undeterred by facts—a scary reality for someone who helps control the money supply.

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Minnesota Rep. Signals to Colleagues He’s Planning to Challenge Biden for Presidential Nomination: Report

Michigan Star Staff

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips has signaled that he is planning on running against President Joe Biden in 2024, Politico reported Thursday.

Phillips has been considering a White House bid for months, and relayed his aspirations to run to House colleagues, two sources familiar told Politico. The congressman has signaled that he’s inching toward a presidential campaign, as the outlet reports that he reached out to the New Hampshire Democratic Party last week and approached potential staffers to bolster his expected efforts in the key early state.

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Michigan Senate Candidate Paid Rent to Company Linked to One of Her Donors

Michigan Star Staff

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan paid rent to a company linked to a donor to her 2024 Senate bid, according to campaign finance data and business records.

Slotkin, who raised roughly $3 million during the third fundraising quarter, paid $2,000 in rent in September to “Ghandi Properties LLC,” registered to 26222 Telegraph Rd., Southfield, Michigan, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. “Ghandi” appears to be a typo for “Gandhi,” as Gandhi Properties LLC is registered to that same address in business filings with the Michigan state government.

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Explosion Damages Historic Christian Church in Gaza

Michigan Star Staff

An Israeli airstrike reportedly damaged the St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church campus in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Approximately 500 people had been sheltering on the church campus, including 80 council members, when the blast occurred and killed two people, according to the WSJ. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) was targeting a Hamas control center on Thursday and “damaged the wall of a church in the area” during an airstrike, The Washington Post reported.

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Commentary: A Review of Satirist Juvenal in This Mad, Mad World

Michigan Star Staff

I have often noted here the difficulty our progressive and enlightened age poses for the art of satire. Satire depends on some palpable distance between common reality and the thing satirized. “Ha!,” we say, we feel viscerally, when confronted by effective satire, “that exaggeration, that caricature, that satire dramatizes a dangerous tendency in our culture. Of course, no one really tries to extract cucumbers from sunbeams, as Swift suggests in his great satire Gulliver’s Travels, but the idea that they might shows you how absurd so much academic culture is.”

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Commentary: Biden’s Failures on Economy, Immigration, and Foreign Policy Are Driving Youngest Voters Away

Michigan Star Staff

President Biden’s failures with young voters goes far beyond the crippling double-digit declines in support he is suffering across battleground states compared to 2020. Democrats are utterly failing to secure loyalty from Gen Z leading into the 2024 election and are facing lower approval ratings from Zoomers than they are from slightly older Millennials.   

Gen Z voters – ages 18 to 24 – are emerging into a chaotic economy fraught with crippling inflation, waves of illegal immigration, rising crime, and an unstable world stage, and many are blaming Democrats to a degree that Obama-generation Millennial voters didn’t.

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Joe Biden Got $200,000 Same Day His Brother Got Big Payment from Failing Health Firm, Comer Reveals

Just the News

Congressional investigators on Friday revealed the first evidence Joe Biden directly benefited from his family’s business dealings, releasing records showing the president got a $200,000 check in 2018 from his brother on the same day that James Biden got the same amount of money wired from a failing health care firm.

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