Month: November 2023

Citigroup Set to Begin Massive Layoffs

Michigan Star Staff

One of the U.S.’ top banks will begin massive layoffs on Wednesday in a corporate overhaul as the company seeks to trim its operating expenses to levels more in line with its competitors, according to CNBC.

Citigroup will begin cutting employees on Wednesday, with new terminations continuing to be announced through next week, affecting some chiefs of staff, managing directors and lower-level employees, according to CNBC. Following the initial round of layoffs, more employees in less senior positions are expected to be dismissed in February, with the layoffs being expected to be fully completed by March 2024.

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Oklahoma Supreme Court Keeps Block on Three State Laws Restricting Abortion

Michigan Star Staff

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against three of the state’s pro-life laws Tuesday, arguing that they would inhibit a woman’s right under the state constitution to get an abortion to protect her health, according to court documents.

The three laws in question require doctors to be board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and requiring doctors to perform an ultrasound 72 hours before administering any drugs used to initiate an abortion, according to the Associated Press. Several pro-abortion groups including Planned Parenthood (PP) and the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) sued the state, arguing the laws were unconstitutional and the state Supreme Court agreed to place a temporary halt while the lawsuit runs its course, according to the ruling.

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Commentary: The Demographics of Polarization

Michigan Star Staff

Women around the world are having fewer than two children. But while population decline is well underway in most nations, there are a handful of nations that are still experiencing a population explosion. The implications of this challenge the foundations of cultural and national independence, most particularly in nations whose populations have stopped reproducing. The nations still experiencing rapid population growth have cultural traditions that stand in stark contrast to the nations with stable and declining populations. These profound demographic and cultural differences, when combined with a massive and ongoing transfer of people from high birth-rate nations into low birth-rate nations, introduces the potential for polarization on an almost unimaginable scale.

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Dem-Controlled FCC Votes in Favor of New Rules to Combat ‘Digital Discrimination’ in Broadband Access

Michigan Star Staff

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed a vote related to “preventing digital discrimination” in accessing broadband internet at a meeting on Wednesday.

The FCC, which has three Democratic commissioners and two Republicans, voted along party lines in favor of a notice of proposed rulemaking Wednesday at the meeting to tackle “digital discrimination,” based on President Joe Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr asserts the rules would massively increase the commission’s regulatory authority to almost all facets of internet service.

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Hunter Biden Asks Judge to Subpoena Donald Trump, Ex-Justice Department Officials in Criminal Case

Just the News

First son Hunter Biden on Wednesday asked the federal judge presiding over his criminal case in Delaware to approve subpoenas of former President Donald Trump and his former top Justice Department officials as he argues that his investigation was the result of “incessant, improper, and partisan pressure” from the former president and his allies. 

The court filing asked U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, to subpoena the former president, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to NBC News. 

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Dr. Malone: Pfizer and Moderna Committed Fraud by Not Disclosing to Regulators COVID Jabs Contaminated with DNA Fragments

Michigan Star Staff

Pfizer and Moderna’s lack of transparency regarding DNA contamination in its COVID-19 shots “meets the criteria for evidence of fraud,” according to the doctor who invented the mRNA vaccine technology upon which the products are based.

“They [Pfizer and Moderna] absolutely did know about the existence of SV40 sequences,” vaccinologist Dr. Robert Malone told Republican lawmakers during a livestream House hearing Monday. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) led the event to examine injuries and deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccinations.

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Report: Border Crisis May Cost U.S. Taxpayers $451 Billion

The Center Square

The influx of migrants across the country’s southern border could cost taxpayers $451 billion, a report released Monday by the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee says.

The fourth report released by the committee says that the tab includes housing, education, property damage done by migrants, law enforcement and health care costs. 

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Migrant Encounters at the Southern Border Remain at Record Levels in October

Michigan Star Staff

Federal authorities recorded 240,988 migrant encounters at the southern border in October, sustaining record highs seen under the Biden administration, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released Tuesday.

The number of encounters along the southern border in September totaled 269,735, marking the highest month on record. CBP recorded 232,963 and 183,479 encounters in August and July, respectively, according to agency data.

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Stellantis Seeks 6,400 Buyouts in Electric Vehicle Transition

The Center Square

Big Three automaker Stellantis seeks 6,400 buyouts – nearly half its 12,700 total non-bargaining unit – as it accelerates into an electric future.

Citing “challenging market conditions”, Stellantis’ Media Relations Director Jodi Tinson said the offer is open to non-bargaining unit U.S. employees with at least five years of corporate service.

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Commentary: The Department of Defense Needs to Defend Our Border

Michigan Star Staff

Thomas Friedman recently said something interesting: “The euphoric rampage of Oct. 7 that killed some 1,400 soldiers and civilians has not only hardened Israeli hearts toward the suffering of Gaza civilians. It has also inflicted a deep sense of humiliation and guilt on the Israeli Army and defense establishment, for having failed in their most basic mission of protecting the country’s borders.”

The humiliation and guilt do not seem universal. Our military and defense leadership do not seem to feel any responsibility for the border crisis. They certainly feel no shame for this egregious and ongoing insult to American sovereignty. For them, the military is reserved for events around the globe, even though most of these far-flung campaigns have only a tangential relationship to actual American security.

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Biden Admin Unveils New Tools to Counter Antisemitism, Islamophobia in Schools

Michigan Star Staff

The Biden administration announced new resources on Tuesday to counter antisemitism and Islamophobia at schools across the U.S. following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, according to a White House press release.

College students signed letters blaming Israel for the Hamas terrorist attacks and multiple student groups led pro-Palestinian protests with imagery associated with violence against Israel. The White House released a series of guides and resources to “help protect students, engage school and university leaders, and foster safe and supportive learning environments.”

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Nearly 60 Percent of Muslim Americans Polled Say Hamas Is ‘Somewhat Justified’ in Israel Attack

The Center Square

As pro-Palestinian protestors descended on Austin and other cities over the weekend, following a “day-of-rage” protests last month, a new poll reveals that a majority of Muslim-Americans surveyed – 57.5% – think the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas “was justified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state.”

Hamas, the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), was designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. “It is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties,” according to the National Counterterrorism Center.

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Commentary: The General Education Act Renews Liberal Education in America

RealClearWire

On Nov. 16, the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal in North Carolina, and the National Association of Scholars in New York City (I serve on the board) will host online, Recentering our Universities, to release to the public The General Education Act. The GEA is a detailed model bill directing the establishment of Schools of General Education at public universities. Written by EPPC’s Stanley Kurtz, the Martin Center’s Jenna Robinson, and NAS’s David Randall, the model legislation sets forth guiding principles, basic courses, institutional structure, funding exigencies, and a timetable for implementation of centers of true liberal education.

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Weed Advocates Are Ramping Up Lobbying Efforts and Notching Wins

Michigan Star Staff

Marijuana legalization advocates are hiring more lobbyists and otherwise ramping up their efforts to influence drug policy on Capitol Hill.

The weed industry’s lobbying efforts increased significantly between the first and second quarters of 2023, rising from $1.04 million to $1.39 million. Cannabis Freedom Alliance, a coalition of groups seeking to end federal prohibitions on weed, recently hired the Bose Public Affairs Group to lobby Congress on marijuana reform issues, according to lobbying disclosures.

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October Inflation Rate 3.2 Percent, Unchanged from Previous Month and Above Target Rate: Feds

Just the News

The seasonally adjusted inflation rate for October 2023 remained unchanged from the previous month and sits at 3.2%, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index Report released Tuesday. 

The rate increased by 3.2%, compared to October 2022. In September, inflation was at 3.7% compared to the same time the previous year.

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Supreme Court Releases Code of Conduct

Michigan Star Staff

The U.S. Supreme Court released its own “Code of Conduct” on Monday evening to “set out succinctly and gather in one place the ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the members of the court.”

The Code of Conduct comes after intense pressure from liberal activist groups for the justices to implement an ethics code. Those activists particularly have taken aim at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, accusing him of violating the court’s ethics rules.

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House Freedom Caucus Comes Out Against Johnson’s Continuing Resolution

Michigan Star Staff

The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) came out against Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s continuing resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government ahead of the vote on Tuesday, according to a press release.

Johnson’s two-part plan, the “Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act of 2024,” would avert a Nov. 17 government shutdown by issuing both a Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 funding deadline when certain spending legislation would expire, according to the bill’s text. The HFC is opposing the “clean” CR because it doesn’t provide any spending cuts or other conservative provisions, the press release reads.

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Billionaire-Funded SuperPAC ‘Forward Majority Action’ Will Target State Legislatures in 2024

Michigan Star Staff

A super PAC funded by liberal megadonors and foundations announced a multi-million dollar push to register voters likely to support Democrats in 2024 state legislature elections.

Forward Majority Action on Monday announced the launch of its $25 million Battleground Voter Project, an initiative that aims to get people likely to support the Democratic Party registered to vote in the key states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. Forward Majority Action is funded by a who’s who of liberal megadonors and political organizations, including the Soros family, left-wing groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund and Bridge to Democracy and liberal megadonors like Reid Hoffman and Karla Jurvetson.

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Analysis: Trump Leads Biden 47 – 41 Percent in Swing States; Wins Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada

Michigan Star Staff

Former President Donald Trump continues to lead incumbent President Joe Biden in the most important battleground states in the latest Morning Consult-Bloomberg poll taken Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 with an overall 47 percent to 41 percent margin.

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Resolution Aims to Keep Michigan Lawmakers Working until December

The Center Square

Michigan House Republicans introduced House Concurrent Resolution 9 aiming for lawmakers to adjourn in late December.

The resolution notes, according to session schedule, that House lawmakers are to meet until Dec. 21 and the Senate is scheduled to meet until at least December 14.

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Victor Davis Hanson Commentary: The Lasting Damage of the ‘White Privilege’ Smear

Michigan Star Staff

One of the many satanic paradoxes of the Third Reich’s architecture of the Final Solution was the requirement — mandated after the 1939 outbreak of the war — that Jews anywhere under German rule or occupation had to wear a yellow badge or armband with the Star or David.

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The Biden Admin Is Pursuing Total Domination of Americans’ Digital Lives

Michigan Star Staff

President Joe Biden’s administration has recently taken unprecedented action to exert influence over Americans’ digital lives, including broadband internet, net neutrality, social media and artificial intelligence (AI).

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Biden’s General Services Administration Set Register Voters and ‘Get out the Vote’ in 2024

Michigan Star Staff

The Biden administration continues to shield from the public its plans for federal agencies to turn out the vote, citing “presidential communications and deliberative process privilege.” 

Newly released emails, however, demonstrate the focus of the White House and various government departments on registering voters and getting them out.  

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Taxpayer-Funded Insurance Group Funneled Cash into Liberal Advocacy Groups

Michigan Star Staff

A taxpayer-funded health insurance exchange made donations to a number of liberal interest groups, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, CBS News reported.

Connect for Health made donations to left-of-center groups like the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, the Southern Colorado Equality Alliance, ProgressNow, Young Invincibles and The Steady, according to CBS. Two state lawmakers raised concerns about Connect for Health’s donations after a CBS News Colorado investigation exposed that the state-established nonprofit insurance exchange had been funding liberal political groups, the outlet reported.

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Child Psychiatrist Sentenced to 40 Years for Using AI to Create Child Porn

Just the News

A North Carolina child psychiatrist was sentenced to 40 years in prison followed by 30 years of supervised release after he was convicted of producing, transporting and possessing child pornography, at least some of which he generated through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

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University of North Dakota Hit with Civil Rights Complaints Alleging Tuition Programs Illegally Discriminate Based on Race

Michigan Star Staff

Two North Dakota higher education institutions were hit this week with civil rights complaints over tuition reduction programs open only to specific racial groups.

The Equal Protection Project (EPP) filed civil rights complaints against the University of North Dakota (UND) and UND School of Law for tuition reduction programs that are “only available to non-white applicants,” according to complaints obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. UND’s website cites the authority of North Dakota State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) policy that encourages institutions to use tuition waivers to “promote enrollment of a culturally diverse student body.”

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Luxury EV Manufacturer Loses $227,000 on Each Car It Sells

Michigan Star Staff

A manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles (EVs) lost more than $227,000 on each car it sold in the third quarter.

Lucid Motors, headquartered in California, sells four EV models, ranging in price from $74,900 to $249,000, according to its website. The company reported a net loss of $630.9 million in the third quarter, excluding its overhead costs, which comes out to a loss of more than $227,000 on each car it sold, according to its financial filings and The Wall Street Journal’s calculations.

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Pentagon Makes Plans for Nuclear Gravity Bomb with Bigger Bang

The Center Square
aerial view of The Pentagon

The Pentagon wants to build a bigger nuclear gravity bomb to provide the military with “more flexibility” in the nation’s nuclear stockpile. 

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced plans to pursue a modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, designated the B61-13. The move will require Congressional authorization and appropriation.

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Poll: Americans Say Schools Should Focus on Math, Reading, and Writing

The Center Square

A large majority of voters say that public schools should focus on the basics – math, reading, writing, science and social studies – to improve the quality of public education in the country.

That’s according to the latest The Center Square’s Voters’ Voice poll conducted in late October in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights. The poll of 2,605 likely voters includes 1,035 Republicans, 1,074 Democrats, and 496 true Independents, and is among the most comprehensive in the country.

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Higher Rates of Cancer Found Among Those Who Drank Contaminated Water at U.S. Military Base: Report

Michigan Star Staff

Military and civilian personnel who lived and worked at a contaminated military base developed cancer at an unusual rate, Reuters reported, citing an epidemiologist familiar with recent research by a U.S. health agency.

The study shows people stationed at the Marine Corps’ Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, came down with cancer at a higher rate than was previously known, Kenneth Cantor, a former National Cancer Institute epidemiologist who has read the study, told Reuters. It also showed that the base’s drinking water likely caused the cancers as the government already owes billions in compensation for former residents’ claims they were harmed from consuming poisoned water.

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Experts Warn China’s Foray into the Middle East Could Isolate Taiwan from U.S. Forces

Michigan Star Staff

China is expanding its military presence in the Middle East, which could obstruct American forces in the region from mobilizing if Beijing decides to invade Taiwan, leaving the island with reduced defenses, according to foreign policy experts.

President Joe Biden was briefed Tuesday by his advisors on a Chinese plan to build a new military facility in Oman bordering the Arabian Sea, which would advance Beijing’s goal of increasing its Middle East and overseas presence, according to Bloomberg. By establishing military strong points in the Middle East, China can hinder and disrupt American forces in the region from mobilizing effectively and redirecting toward Taiwan if Beijing invades, which could leave the island with lesser defense capabilities, according to foreign policy experts.

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Commentary: Mail Ballot Security Is Under Nationwide Assault

Michigan Star Staff

The Left loves to tout universal mail-in voting. Liberal enclaves like California, Hawaii, and Oregon have implemented it, while activists push aggressively to impose mail-in voting on Americans. But even as they push it, despite repeated instances of fraud, the Left simultaneously attacks any efforts to make vulnerable mail voting more secure. Indeed, the Left holds outright disdain for even minimal safeguards for mail ballots.

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Report: Mountain States Among ‘Most Free’ in North America

The Center Square

Mountain states rank among the “most free” in North America, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.

The Canadian think tank employs 10 variables for its Economic Freedom of North America 2023 reports and scores states based on categories such as government spending, taxes, labor market freedom, legal system and property rights, sound money, and freedom to trade internationally.

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EU Moves Forward with Digital ID Despite Security Concerns and Potential for Abuse

Michigan Star Staff

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a final agreement this week on the establishment of “European Digital Identity Wallets,” the first central and fully digital identification system for all Europeans.

“Under the new law, the EU will offer its citizens so-called ‘digital wallets’—on a voluntary basis, at first—which will contain digital versions of their ID cards, driving licenses, diplomas, medical records, and bank account information,” the European Conservative reported.

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Commentary: Masculine Men Are Women’s Unsung Heroes

Michigan Star Staff

Contemporary America is hounded by terms like “toxic masculinity,” “the patriarchy,” and “the male gaze.” Men all over the nation—indeed, the world—are lambasted daily by derogatory, angry media seeking to devalue and wipe out their nature.

I have a message for you: Don’t listen to it. Masculine men are the very thing we need—now more than ever in the battle of traditionalism versus progressivism. Though the media has attacked the vital value of gender itself, we know they’re wrong. We know male and female is how we’re made. Even now, traditional femininity is making a huge comeback across the internet. And what do we as traditional women most need?

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