Author: Just the News

A judge declared a mistrial in Arizona on Monday, after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict, in a case where a rancher allegedly killed a Mexican national on his property.

Alan Dershowitz Says He is No Longer Loyal to Democratic Party After Columbia Protests

Dershowitz, a Democrat who has been a major critic of President Joe Biden and the current administration, said his party has been an “extraordinary disappointment” because they have not been very vocal about the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University.

Los Angeles Prosecutor on Election Software Firm Case Claims Charges Dropped over DA’s Political Concerns

A lead prosecutor on a case involving the CEO of an election software company has filed a government tort complaint against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón for allegedly dismissing criminal charges improperly against the company executive for political purposes.

The prosecution of the head of an election software company used by election offices across the country that began in October 2022 was ended about a month later because of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s concerns about his political image, according to the lead prosecutor’s complaint against the DA.

California Sues Huntington Beach over Voter ID Law as State Pushes Back on Conservative Locality

California Attorney General Rob Bonta with Secretary of State Shirley Weber (composite image)

The State of California is suing the city of Huntington Beach over a new voter ID law passed by voters last month, claiming it violates state law, in another pushback against a conservative locality in the liberal state.

Huntington Beach and Shasta County have both passed election integrity measures for their jurisdictions, but the California executive branch and state legislature — both supported by far-left donors — have shown their displeasure by responding with lawsuits and legislation to counter them.

Critics Blast Biden Administration’s New ‘Conservation Leases,’ Which They Say are Illegal

April 21, 2024April 20, 2024 Just the News

The Biden administration Friday rolled out three decisions aimed at greatly restricting oil and gas drilling, as well as mining activities needed for renewable energy, on public land.

The decisions include shutting down the Ambler Access Road project, which would have opened up part of Alaska to mining needed for renewable energy, and blocking oil and gas drilling on up to 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

Senate Approves Extension to FISA Section 702 Surveillance Powers

The Senate on Friday approved legislation to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to 2026.

The upper chamber approved the legislation in a 60-34 vote, which ran past the midnight deadline.

Priest Resigns from a Michigan Church After Protests over His Criticism of a Gay Author

April 21, 2024April 20, 2024 Just the News

A Catholic priest at a Michigan church resigned from his position following protests over his comments criticizing a gay author who read a book to preschool children.

LGBTQ activists held protests outside St. Joseph the Worker Church in Beal City, north of Lansing, following his remarks.

Maine Becomes 17th State to Join Effort to Elect President by Popular Vote

April 21, 2024 Just the News

Maine’s Democratic governor Janet Mills announced on Monday that her state will become the latest to join an effort to elect the president through popular vote instead of the electoral college.

A coalition of 16 states and Washington D.C., have agreed to send all of their electoral college votes to the candidate that wins the popular vote nationwide as part of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, according to the Associated Press, but the states will need to control 270 electoral college votes in order to implement the proposal. So far, with Maine, it has 209.

Letitia James Asks Judge to Block Trump’s $175 Million Bond from Civil Fraud Case

New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office has asked a judge on Friday to block a $175 million bond that former President Donald Trump secured to delay paying a larger punishment in his civil fraud case.

Trump was ordered to pay a combined $464 million, plus interest, earlier this year after Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and his organization had inflated his net worth in order to get better tax and insurance benefits. The sum was later reduced to $175 million, which Trump posted.

House Dems Move to Strip Trump of Secret Service Protection, If Convicted

A group of House Democrats on Friday introduced legislation to strip former President Donald Trump of his Secret Service protection should he be convicted in one of the myriad criminal cases against him.

Trump is currently on trial in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case over allegedly falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty and contends that the case is part of broader political witch hunt against him. He also faces two separate federal indictments from special counsel Jack Smith and a fourth from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Rep. Gosar Joins Two Other House Republicans in Supporting GOP Speaker Johnson’s Ouster

Rep. Paul Gosar on Friday joined two other House Republicans in supporting GOP Speaker Mike Johnson’s ouster.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion last month to vacate the speaker’s chair, and so far two other GOP lawmakers have joined the effort.

Trump Gains on Biden with Young Voters: Poll

April 19, 2024 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump has lowered President Joe Biden’s lead in support from people under 30 compared to four years ago, according to a poll released Thursday.

During the 2020 presidential election, Biden led Trump by 23% among support from young people under 30, and held a 30-point advantage among likely young voters. In the latest survey from the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, however, Trump came in just eight points behind Biden among young adults between the ages of 18 and 29, with Biden leading 45% to Trump’s 37%.

Former D.C. National Guard Officials Criticize Pentagon Leadership in Assessment of J6 Response

Four former D.C. National Guard officials turned whistleblowers excoriated military leadership for their response to the January 6 riot at a hearing held by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight Wednesday.

Based their firsthand accounts, they said that senior leadership failed to act decisively to authorize the deployment of the D.C. National Guard to the Capitol and subsequently crafted a misleading narrative about their actions that day to paper over the delays.

House Committee Finds Chinese Government Pushes Fentanyl Materials, Fueling Drug Crisis

April 18, 2024 Just the News

A new report Tuesday detailing the Chinese Communist Party’s role in the fentanyl crisis plaguing the country details the findings of a House investigation that concluded the Chinese government subsidizes the manufacturing and export of fentanyl materials and refuses to crack down on the illicit market.

The report, released by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, coincided with a public hearing with former Attorney General Bill Barr, former DEA Chief of Operations Ray Donovan, and an expert from the RAND research organization.

Federal Appeals Court Overturns West Virginia Transgender Sports Ban

April 17, 2024 Just the News

In a 2-1 ruling, the court ruled that the law violated Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in schools.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a West Virginia law that banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams.

Trump’s Truth Social Formally Launching Video Streaming Platform

The Trump Media & Technology Group Corporation, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, announced on Tuesday that it is formally launching a “new live TV streaming platform and will begin scaling up its own content delivery network,” according to a news release.

Afghan Migrant on Terrorist Watch List Released by Border Patrol: Report

An Afghan migrant on the FBI terrorist watch list spent almost a year in the U.S. after being apprehended and released by border patrol agents, according to news reports.

He was arrested in February, then released last month again by an immigration judge who was not told he was a national security threat, according to NBC News.

Conservatives Urge House to Hold Hearing on Google Gemini Over 2024 Election Integrity Concerns

The hearing Republicans are calling for would increase public scrutiny on Google’s AI application and potentially inherent bias.

Conservative and Republican groups nationwide are urging House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to hold a hearing about potential problems posed by Google Gemini, with concerns specifically about whether it could influence the 2024 presidential election.

Education Department to Open Civil Rights Probe into UC Berkeley Allegedly Banning White People from Farm

University of California Berkeley Campus

“We envision a vibrant community farm, a model of shared governance and co-stewardship that helps restore community resilience,” the farm’s website reads.

The Department of Education is looking into an allegation that the University of California at Berkeley is prohibiting white residents from using a community farm on Saturdays.

Saving Whales Started as Left-Wing Cause, but Now Conservatives are Taking Up the Fight

April 14, 2024April 13, 2024 Just the News

Saving the whales was once a leading cause of left-wing environmental groups like Greenpeace. But offshore wind development has created an ironic twist in which conservative groups are now the loudest voices raising concerns about the North Atlantic right whale’s extinction.

The Heartland Institute, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and the National Legal and Policy Center, want to draw attention to what they say is a connection between an increase in dead whales along the East Coast and industrialization of the U.S. Coast. A new study by an independent acoustician concludes that they may be right.

Democrats, Media Starting to Admit Some Mail-In Voting Problems Ahead of 2024 Presidential Election

Amid delivery delays by the United States Postal Service and mail-in ballot fraud, Democrats and the media are finally acknowledging there are some issues with mail-in voting ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

As mail-in voting has increased since the 2020 presidential election during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Democrats have advocated for it as an easier method of voting. However, as USPS has experienced delivery issues and ballot harvesting has led to at least one “redo” election, some Democrats and media are noting the issues with the voting method.

Kansas Gov. Kelly Vetoes Ban on Gender Treatments for Minors

April 14, 2024 Just the News

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed legislation that would have banned certain gender-related treatments for minors.

The “Substitute Bill for Senate Bill 233” would have banned gender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors and establish a civil means of action against healthcare providers who perform them.

UN Climate Official Warns Only ‘Two Years’ to Save World from Environmental Crisis

April 14, 2024 Just the News

A United Nations climate official issued a dire warning by claiming that only “two years” remain to save the world from an environmental crisis.

“When I say we have two years to save the world, it begs the question – who exactly has two years to save the world? The answer is every person on this planet,” UN climate official Simon Stiell said Wednesday during a speech at the Chatham House think tank in London.

Biden to Cancel Student Debt for over 277,000 Borrowers

April 13, 2024April 12, 2024 Just the News

President Joe Biden announced Friday that he would be canceling student loan debt for over 277,000 borrowers.

In total, $7.4 million will be canceled from borrowers in over 40 states, which brings the total amount of student loan cancellation to $153 billion, according to The Hill.

Amendment in GOP-House’s FISA Renewal Bill for Warrant Requirement Fails in Tie Vote, 212-212

April 12, 2024 Just the News

A bipartisan warrant requirement amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act section 702 renewal bill failed to pass in a tie vote of 212-212 on the House floor on Friday. The amendment would have prohibited “warrantless searches of U.S. person communications in the FISA 702 database, with exceptions for imminent threats to life or bodily harm, consent searches, or known cybersecurity threat signatures.”

O.J. Simpson Dies at Age 76

O.J. Simpson died following a cancer battle, his family announced Thursday. He was 76.

Some Jan. 6 Defendants Win Early Release Ahead of Key Supreme Court Decision

Judges are ordering Jan. 6 defendants who fought against their sentences to be released early pending an appeal as the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week about the legitimacy of a key charge that many of them were indicted.

The attorneys of three Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants are set to argue before the Supreme Court that the crime of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding is only limited to destroying evidence in governmental probes, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Democrats, Liberals Criticize ‘Election Deniers’ but Face Allegations of Election Irregularities

Al Gore and Hillary Clinton (composite image)

While Democrats and liberals criticize Republicans, conservatives, and others who are concerned about election integrity, smearing them with the pejorative label “election deniers,” many allegations regarding election irregularities are now being made against Democrats.

Since the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have raised concerns about election irregularities and are often called “election deniers” by Democrats and the media. However, many Democrats have been accused or found guilty of election crimes, sometimes by members of their own party.

RFK Jr. Appeals to Trump Supporters by Pledging to Close Border, Probe January 6 Prosecutions

April 10, 2024 Just the News

Kennedy has also criticized CNN and stressed the need to reduce the deficit.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is appealing to supporters of former President Donald Trump by pledging to crack down on illegal immigration and investigate the prosecution of Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants.

Idaho Teen Planned to Attack Churches in Support of ISIS over Ramadan: Affidavit

An Idaho teenager allegedly planned to attack churches during Ramadan after pledging his support for the Islamic State, according to an affidavit from the Justice Department.

Alexander Scott Mercurio, 18, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was arrested over the weekend and charged with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, officials announced late Monday.

Questions Swirl Around Deadly ATF Raid of Arkansas Home Leaving a Local Airport Administrator Dead

April 10, 2024 Just the News

Newly released videos show federal agents arriving to execute a search warrant on the home of the administrator of a local airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. The raid-gone-wrong in the predawn hours of March 19 ultimately led to the death of the administrator, Bryan Malinowski, after a brief standoff with the agents.

These videos, as well as a search warrant and affidavit previously published, shed light on why an administrator at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport was under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). According to the ATF he was allegedly selling firearms without the proper licenses—some of which were reportedly used in crimes—and for misrepresenting his purpose on purchase forms.

Government Watchdog Files Complaint vs. NOAA over ‘Scientific Violations’ in Climate Change Report

April 10, 2024 Just the News

Protect The Public’s Trust (PPT), a government watchdog group, filed a complaint Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Commerce, requesting an investigation into what PPT says are “apparent scientific violations” in relation to how National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects and reports climate-related natural disasters that exceed $1 billion in damages.

Since 1980, NOAA has reported an annual tally of the number of climate-related natural disasters in the U.S. that cause damages exceeding $1 billion after adjusting for inflation. According to NOAA’s calculations, the U.S. averaged 8.5 such events between 1980 and 2023. In the last five years, however, the average reported by the agency is 20.4 events.

Texas Farmers Ask Judge to Block USDA from Doling Out Disaster Aid Based on Race or Gender

April 9, 2024 Just the News

A group of white farmers in Texas is asking a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture from using race, gender or other “socially disadvantaged” traits to determine who gets disaster and pandemic farm aid and how much, arguing the agency’s current administration of eight emergency funding programs is unconstitutionally discriminatory.

“When natural disasters strike, they don’t discriminate based on race and sex. Neither should the Department of Agriculture,” the group of farmers wrote in a court filing made public Monday.

Alabama Hospital to Discontinue IVF After 2024

April 9, 2024 Just the News

An Alabama hospital on Wednesday announced that it would discontinue in vitro fertilization (IVF) services at the end of the year due to the legal controversy surrounding the practice.

Multiple healthcare providers paused IVF treatments in the wake of a February decision by the state Supreme Court asserting that frozen embryos created through the process enjoy the same rights as “unborn children.” GOP Gov. Kay Ivey, in March, signed a law providing legal protection for IVF providers, though that effort has evidently not calmed the nerves of some of them.

Trump Releases Abortion Stance, Says States Should Determine Regulations on Procedure

Presumptive GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday announced his stance on abortion ahead of the November election, sticking, as expected, with the Supreme Court decision that the matter should be decided by the states.

Prominent Epidemiologist Says Data Proves COVID Lockdowns Failed, and Hurt Population

Dr. Harvey Risch, Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, says lockdowns failed to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and had “serious repercussions for substantial fractions of the population.”

“The measures that need to be monitored for a pandemic of this sort are the number of deaths, serious hospitalizations, and serious outcomes of the infection, not the infection itself,” Risch said on a “Just the News, No Noise” special on Friday.

Earliest COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients Wrote in Tens of Thousands of Injuries Left Off CDC Surveys

The earliest recipients of newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines, including healthcare workers, wrote in tens of thousands of adverse events related to the heart, ears, reproductive system and other conditions not listed as checkboxes in a federal active monitoring smartphone app.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the past two months turned over 780,000 “free text” entries from V-safe, the agency’s vaccine-safety monitoring system, under a January order by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Freedom Coalition of Doctors for Choice.

Study Grades Natural Gas as Best Source for Reliability, Affordability and Environmental Impact

A new study finds that natural gas is the most effective energy source meeting growing energy demands affordably and reliably, while balancing environmental and human impact.

The “Grading the Grid” study by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a pro-free market nonprofit, and Northwood University rates natural gas, coal, petroleum, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal generation sources on their reliability, environmental and human impact, cost, innovation and market feasibility.

Groups Coordinate with Hundreds of Media Outlets to Push Climate ‘Crisis’ in News and Entertainment

April 7, 2024 Just the News

Ahead of the Easter weekend, multiple media outlets reported that chocolate prices are soaring, and according to the coverage, the main culprit driving the inflating costs is climate change.

Across multiple platforms, the reports followed a similar message, using similar language to describe the problem and its causes — and the reports all came out the same week.

Conservative House Freedom Caucus Members Secured over $900 Million in Earmarks: Watchdog

April 6, 2024 Just the News

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus sponsored more than $900 million worth of earmarks over the last two years, according to a study conducted by OpenTheBooks.com and published on Thursday.

While the Freedom Caucus does not publicly list all of its members, OpenTheBooks said they based their study off of a list of 49 lawmakers that Pew compiled, which includes lawmakers who publicly identified as members of the caucus or are “closely aligned” with it.

‘No Labels’ Will Not Run a Third-Party Candidate for the 2024 Presidential Race: Report

April 6, 2024 Just the News

The No Labels centrist political party will not run a third-party candidate for the 2024 presidential election after failing to recruit a candidate, according to news reports Thursday.

“No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House,” Nancy Jacobson, the group’s CEO, said in a statement, according to The Wall Street Journal. “No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.”

Weiss Acknowledges ‘Ongoing Investigation’ in Biden Tax Case, Spurring Congressional Probe

April 5, 2024 Just the News

In the legal back-and-forth between Hunter Biden’s defense team and prosecutor Special Counsel David Weiss, the government appeared to acknowledge in court filings the existence of an ongoing investigation as part of the Hunter Biden tax investigation.

The government said in a request to seal certain documents that “The justification for the redaction and the sealed exhibits is that the redacted information contained in the filing and the sealed exhibits relates to a potential ongoing investigation(s) and the investigating agency(cies) specifically requested that the government request that the court seal the exhibits, as well as any accompanying reference in the pleading, in order to protect the integrity of the potential ongoing investigation(s).”

Ohio Congressman Introduces Bill to Repeal 16th Amendment, Arguing Government Shouldn’t Tax Income

April 5, 2024 Just the News

Congressman Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, introduced legislation to repeal the 16th Amendment, stating that the government should not tax people’s income.

“Originally the country didn’t have an income tax,” Davidson said on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “They passed the 16th amendment to make it legal to tax people’s income. It was originally just going to be for the really, really rich people. And of course, now it’s hitting everybody.”

Trump’s Motion to Dismiss Georgia Election Case Denied

Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee on Thursday denied former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss the indictment against him and 14 co-defendants involving alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Judge Orders Government to ‘Expeditiously’ House Migrant Children

April 4, 2024April 4, 2024 Just the News

A federal judge ordered the U.S. government to “expeditiously” house children who illegally enter the country, instead of allowing the children to remain in open-air locations along the border.

Conservative Groups Forge Early Voting Coalition Built Around New Unity Pledge

In the hotel where Abraham Lincoln kicked off his Civil War presidency, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. refined his most famous speech, dozens of organizations gathered this week with a common goal: to forge a historic coalition that would catapult conservatives to the forefront of early voting and election lawfare and expand their movement to Hispanics, Asians, union workers, and African-Americans fleeing the Democratic Party.

Liberal Dark Money Pushes Ranked-Choice Voting as Campaign Gains Momentum Across U.S.

As ranked-choice voting gains momentum across the U.S., the campaign supporting the system is funded by a few liberal dark money groups run by mega-donors who seek to replace the influence of political parties with their own, according to Honest Election Project Action, (HEPA) an election integrity advocate.

Jack Smith Criticizes Trump Documents Judge’s Instructions as ‘Fundamentally Flawed’