Michigan Star Staff, Author at The Michigan Star

U.S. Wheat Farmers Stare Down Huge Losses as Foreign Goods Flood Market

April 18, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Many American wheat farmers may face losses in 2024 due to a glut of foreign supply coupled with soaring equipment and labor costs amid high inflation, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Wheat prices are near their lowest point in nearly four years as supply from the Black Sea and Europe has unexpectedly flooded the market after three years of droughts draining reserves, hitting winter wheat farmers in the Great Plains particularly hard, according to Reuters. Costs for transporting and producing American wheat have soared compared to foreign wheat suppliers, with high inflation increasing costs for farm equipment, repairs and labor for farmers.

Commentary: The Teachers’ Unions Are More Political than Ever

April 18, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

In the past, teachers’ unions concentrated on fighting to keep all teachers employed—competent or otherwise—laying off teachers by seniority when necessary and soaking taxpayers every chance they could. While those activities are still part of their mission, they have, over time, increasingly delved into the political/social realm, promoting Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, DEI, class warfare, gender-bending, etc. And their current level of engagement is staggering.

Americans for Fair Treatment, a national nonprofit organization that educates public employees about their rights in a unionized workplace, recently released a report detailing the National Education Association’s (NEA) financial filings from Sept. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2023.

Commentary: The Coup d’Etat Against Candidate Trump

April 18, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

In 1967, I had the privilege of studying criminal law at Yale University. The teacher was a superpower in the field named Joe Goldstein.

After a short time, we got to a series of cases where a prosecutor had empaneled a grand jury and gotten an indictment against some poor soul — almost always poverty-stricken and often black — who had either no evidence against him (and he was almost always male). That poor soul usually was convicted. He went to prison and that was that.

Denver Mayor Cuts Police Budget by $8 Million to Fund Illegal Aliens

April 18, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D-Colo.) has announced a new spending package that will fund the hordes of illegal aliens flooding into the state, including cutting the city police department’s budget by $8 million in order to support illegals.

As Fox News reports, Johnston’s $45.9 million proposition will go towards funding “newcomers” in the year 2024, on top of the $44 million that has already been spent on illegals in recent years. The city of Denver used to spend a mere $2 million every month on illegals as far back as August; as of December, that amount soared to $15 million a month. The number of illegals living in shelters peaked at 5,000 in January but has since fallen to about 1,000.

Soros PAC Bets Big on White Women to Deliver 2024 Victory for Democrats

April 18, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A PAC funded by George Soros is bankrolling a political committee that is trying to convince moderate white women to vote for Democrats.

Democracy PAC donated $1 million to the One For All Committee, which produces and runs advertisements aimed at persuading “moderate white women” to vote for Democrats in “key battleground states,” according to a campaign finance disclosure. One For All has, in its past campaigns, supported President Joe Biden, Democratic Senate candidates and Janet Protasiewicz, a Democrat-endorsed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate.

Johnson Vows Not to Resign, as Second GOP Lawmaker Announces Support for Ouster

April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced on social media Tuesday that he’s co-sponsoring a motion to vacate the chair against House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

In doing so, Massie joined the motion to vacate push against Johnson launched by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., in March. Massie is the first other Republican to back Greene in the effort.

Illegals Instructed to Vote Biden for Border NGO to ‘Stay Open’

April 17, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Group photo of Resource Center Matamoros staff

An advocacy group based in Northeastern Mexico that lobbies U.S. lawmakers has distributed and posted flyers encouraging illegal immigrants to vote for President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.

Translated from Spanish, the Oversight Project notes, the flyers posted by the organization Resource Center Matamoros say: “Reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States. We need another four years of his term to stay open.” (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news and commentary outlet.)

Most Americans Don’t Think Trump Acted Illegally in Alvin Bragg Case: Poll

April 17, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Only 35 perdent of Americans believe former President Donald Trump acted illegally in regard to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him, which began on Monday, a Tuesday poll found.

Jury selection is underway in the first of Trump’s four criminal cases, where he faces 34 felony counts over allegations related to falsifying business records when reimbursing a hush money payment to former porn star actress Stormy Daniels leading up to the 2016 election. As Trump sits in the courtroom this week, 31 percent believe Trump’s alleged actions were “unethical, but not illegal,” 14 percent argue he did “nothing wrong” and 19 percent said they “don’t know enough to say,” according to an AP/NORC poll.

Commentary: Lawfare Didn’t Begin with Trump

April 17, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The newest buzzword in politics is “Lawfare,” the effort to cripple political opponents through legal initiatives, preferably by bringing criminal cases. Today’s favorite target is former President Trump, who has been indicted in various state and federal jurisdictions for some ninety-one felonies.

Amazingly, Wikipedia’s current “Lawfare” entry goes into great detail concerning the term’s origins and current application – defining Lawfare as “the use of legal systems and institutions to damage or delegitimize an opponent, or to deter an individual’s usage of their legal rights” without any mention whatsoever of its current use against Trump.

Soros-Funded DA Faces Recall Vote After Crime Ravages Blue County

April 17, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

An effort to recall a George Soros-funded California district attorney has received enough signatures to advance, according to a county document.

Organizers seeking to oust Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price have collected 74,757 verified signatures in support of their effort to hold a recall election, over 1,000 more than needed, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced Monday. Save Alameda for Everyone, one of the primary committees campaigning for Price’s removal, argues that Price has been prioritizing offenders over victims, contributing to an uptick in crime in their community.

Commentary: Inflation Will Stick Around as Long as The Big Spenders Do

April 17, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

August came early to the nation’s capital with last week’s round of March inflation data. The late summer weather in Washington, D.C., is notoriously hot and sticky, two accurate descriptors of the latest price increases facing families and businesses alike. Inflation is stubbornly high, and the Biden administration’s spendthrift public policies are to blame.

In the past 12 months, consumer prices rose 3.5 percent, the second month of accelerating annual inflation. In March alone, prices rose 0.4 percent. That may not sound like much, but it’s actually terrible. If that monthly inflation rate holds steady, prices will double in less than 16 years.

Nikki Haley Announces New Gig After Failed Presidential Campaign

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will serve as the next Walter P. Stern Chair of the conservative Hudson Institute following her suspended 2024 presidential run, according to a Monday press release.

Haley was the last remaining challenger to former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary until she dropped out of the race following a slew of Super Tuesday losses. The former ambassador and South Carolina governor, who received a Global Leadership Award from the foreign policy think tank in 2018, said she will seek to “defend the principles that make America the greatest country in the world,” according to the press release.

Left-Wing Outlet Hurtles Toward Bankruptcy Following Megadonor’s Retreat: Report

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The Intercept is losing money amid left-wing megadonor Pierre Omidyar’s choice to stop providing funds to the outlet, Semafor reported on Sunday.

The Intercept is hemorrhaging around $300,000 monthly and is on pace to possess less than 1 million dollars in reserves by November, according to internal data distributed inside the outlet in March, Semafor reported. The outlet could potentially deplete its cash reserves entirely by May 2025 after Omidyar’s First Look Media decided to terminate its funding in late 2022.

Media Picks Up Novel Legal Theory Suggesting Big Oil Is Homicidal

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A new narrative is making its way through major media outlets about major oil corporations: climate change that they purportedly caused is taking lives, and they could be held liable for homicide.

In recent weeks, numerous outlets have run stories or opinion pieces promoting or otherwise examining the novel legal theory, which is the subject of a new paper published by the Harvard Environmental Law Review, according to a Tuesday E&E News report detailing the architects’ efforts to market their idea to prosecutors. The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Newsweek, Inside Climate News and other outlets have all recently published pieces promoting the idea that leading oil companies could or should be charged with murder for their role in climate change, which the theory’s architects claim has caused thousands of deaths in the U.S.

Commentary: Speaker Mike Johnson’s ‘Personal Conservatism’ Betrays the Conservative Movement

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The election of Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana to Speaker of the House has thrown into stark relief the difference between what one might call “personal conservatives” and those of us who consider ourselves to be part of the conservative movement, or movement conservatives.

There’s no doubt that Speaker Johnson lives his life according to a set of conservative principles: He’s a church-going man known for his personal rectitude; he married his wife in a “covenant marriage;” as a lawyer he advocated a constitutional “textualist” approach to his cases; he spent many years actively involved in advancing the Right-to-Life; he opposes same sex marriages, and in 2015 he took one of his daughters to a purity ball.

Gen Z Returning to Trade and Vocational Schools

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Just when it appeared that skilled trades and vocational schools appeared to be on a permanent decline in the United States, members of Generation Z are beginning to embrace such professions in what may mark the beginning of a comeback.

According to Axios, the amount of enrollments in vocational programs has been gradually increasing as members of Gen Z, also known as “Zoomers,” are turning to trade schools as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive four-year universities.

Analysis: New Poll Finds Trump Leads Biden Among Voters Above 30 Years Old Who Say It’s Time for a Change

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Former President Donald Trump led among voters above the age of 30 years old in the latest Emerson national poll taken April 2-3 over incumbent President Joe Biden, who only led among younger voters 18 to 29, 50.2 percent to 39.6 percent.

New ‘Athenai Institute’ Pushes Universities to Divest from China

April 16, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

An advocacy group is recruiting students from both major political parties to push for university divestment from Chinese government-controlled entities.

Athenai Institute co-founder Caleb Max told The College Fix the organization is working to build on the victories it has achieved since he and two other George Mason University students founded it in 2020.

Ex-Trump Advisor Purged from Federal Elections Board After Left-Wing Pressure Campaign, Emails Show

April 15, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A federal agency did not reappoint a former Trump advisor to an elections advisory board after a left-wing activist group threatened to launch a public criticism campaign, according to emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who is now the senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partnership Institute, was appointed to the advisory board for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in November 2021. After months of badgering United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) officials to oust Mitchell from the EAC board of advisors, Free Speech for People president John Bonifaz threatened to launch a “public campaign” criticizing the agency if it did not drop Mitchell at the end of her two-year term, emails obtained by the DCNF via public records request show.

Commentary: The Battle Begins as Trump’s Trial Tests American Justice

April 15, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Monday, April 15, 2024, is not only Tax Day in the United States. It is also the day that this country will take another fateful step towards banana republic-like tyranny. For it is the day that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg—or, to give him his full title, “Soros-funded District Attorney Alvin Bragg”—will begin his 34-count felony trial against Donald Trump.

Exactly what is the presumptive Republican nominee for president charged with by the Biden Department of Justice? Paying Stormy Daniels—or to give her the invariable epithet, “porn star Stormy Daniels” (think “swift-footed Achilles,” “gray-eyed Athena”)—to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006 (which Trump has consistently denied).

Commentary: North Carolina Could Be Ground Zero for the Gen Z Revolt Against Democrats

April 15, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

What began as imprecise theories among a handful of forward-looking political observers and youth organizers is materializing this election year, and poll after poll is now showing young voters deserting Democrats in droves.

Mainstream news outlets have little choice but to acknowledge the vast, double-digit declines in support for Biden among younger voters, a group which supported him by 25 percentage points in 2020. Now we are seeing tentative coverage of the youth shift and warnings to Democrats in Vox, NPR, CNN and other mainstream outlets.

GOP Representative Blasts Squad Democrats for Trying to Block Sale of F-35s Israel Used to Defend Against Iran Attacks

April 15, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida blasted Democrats for trying to get the Biden administration to block the sale of advanced F-35 jets to Israel that defended on Saturday against Iran’s large-scale drone and ballistic missile attack in an exclusive statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi joined 39 Democratic colleagues, including members of the “Squad,” in an April 5 letter urging the president to reverse his decision authorizing a weapons sale to Israel after an Israeli airstrike killed seven humanitarian workers in Gaza. The transfer included U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets and other American-origin weapons needed “to ensure Israel can survive” amid threats and attacks from Iran, Mast, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement to the DCNF.

Harvard-Affiliated Cancer Center Retracts Several Studies

April 15, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute retracted seven studies and is investigating multiple researchers after allegations were made that images had been manipulated or duplicated, according to NBC News.

Dr. Sholto David, a molecular biologist, investigated in January multiple studies from top researchers within the institute, which is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and concluded that several images had possibly been manipulated by software such as Adobe Photoshop, according to The Wall Street Journal. The institute originally said they were retracting six studies but have added a seventh, while also requesting corrections in an additional 31 papers, according to NBC News.

Commentary: Making a Case for Cursive

April 15, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Recently, I asked my fifth graders if they enjoyed writing in cursive. Students at the all-boys Catholic school where I work start training in cursive penmanship in third grade, so my students had been practicing it for the better part of three years. I expected them to say that it is boring, that they do not like it, but they all said that they preferred cursive to printing. One boy explained that it allows him to develop his ideas more easily. Another one liked the way the strokes of the pencil obey the natural movement of his hand and shoulder. Most surprising of all: They all find writing in cursive fun.

Cursive penmanship is a dying art. History professor and former president of Harvard Drew Gilpin Faust wrote an essay in 2022 lamenting that Generation Z never learned cursive. She acknowledges that “the decline in cursive seems inevitable. Writing is, after all, a technology, and most technologies are sooner or later surpassed and replaced.”

Black Men’s Support for Trump Doubles in Swing States: Poll

April 14, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Former President Donald Trump’s support among black men has increased in battleground states ahead of the 2024 election by more than double his support among the same group in 2020’s election, according to a poll published on Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has long sought to gain support among black voters, traditionally a Democratic-supporting demographic, by touting his record on the economy and criminal justice reform while in office, among other matters. A recent poll estimated that 30 percent of black men in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — “definitely or probably” plan to vote for Trump in November’s election, an increase of 18 percent from his nationwide performance among that demographic in 2020, where he earned 12 percent of their votes, the Journal reported.

Major Review Finds ‘Weak Evidence’ Supporting Puberty Blockers for Kids

April 14, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

There is “weak evidence” to support puberty blockers for children who identify as transgender, according to a four-year systematic review of transgender medical studies published on Tuesday.

Dr. Hilary Cass, a consultant in paediatric disability at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, England, and formerly the president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, conducted the review in response to a request from the National Health Service (NHS). Cass’ report determined that the current studies on the subject of “puberty suppression” showed little improvement in gender dysphoria in minors and also may push kids toward getting more extreme treatments.

Newly Appointed 4th Circuit Judge Married to Pro-Abortion Christine Ford Lawyer

April 14, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Recently appointed 4th Circuit Judge Nicole Berner is legally married to the pro-abortion lawyer who represented Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her.

The Washington Post describes Berner as “the first openly gay judge and the first labor lawyer on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit,” which covers Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Berner, who is also pro-abortion, formerly served as a staff attorney for Planned Parenthood, where she focused on “protecting and expanding access” to chemical abortion drugs.

Commentary: Faith’s Proven Role in Overcoming Mental Illness

April 14, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

by Carrie Sheffield “There is an important body of conservative thought that is now nearly or completely absent on the faculties of many eminent universities,” former Harvard University President Derek Bok wrote in Harvard Magazine following Hamas’ terrorist attacks Oct. 7 in Israel and the ensuing campus chaos. He recommends “some immediate progress by trying…

Commentary: As Fentanyl Streams over Wide-Open Border, Students Lead Effort to Combat Campus Overdoses

April 14, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Ten years ago, I had never heard the word “fentanyl.” Now, every sorority and fraternity on my college campus is equipped with Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, a lifesaving medication used to treat opioid overdoses.

The fentanyl crisis is acutely felt on college campuses. Oftentimes, college students will take a pill that they thought was Xanax or Ritalin and end up dead.

Commentary: Female Liberation Can Be Found in Marriage

April 14, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

What does a fulfilling, self-focused life look like, according to liberated feminism?

Spa nights alone in a fancy apartment, perhaps. A boss babe CEO who enjoys hooking up on the weekends. Plastic surgery and perhaps a cute pet to post on Instagram.

Dem Voter Registration Dips in Crucial Swing States Ahead of 2024

April 13, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Three crucial battleground states have experienced a drop in Democratic voter registration since late 2020 and ahead of a November rematch with former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, election data shows.

Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania — which saw some of the closest presidential elections last cycle — all currently have less registered Democratic voters overall than in late 2020, according to the most recent state records. While Democrats still lead Republicans in party registration, the margins in these states are much smaller than before.

Chinese Military Companies Have Spent over $24 Million Lobbying the U.S. Government in Recent Years

April 13, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Entities the Pentagon classifies as “Chinese military companies” have spent more than $24 million lobbying the U.S. government since 2020, a Daily Caller News Foundation review of lobbying disclosures found.

Some of the biggest spenders on lobbying included corporations directly tied to human rights abuses and Chinese military research, like telecom giant Huawei, facial recognition software developer Megvii and genomics company BGI Shenzhen. Chinese military corporations cast a wide net across the American government, lobbying the House, Senate and various parts of the executive branch, including the office of the president, often setting their sights on proposed policies that would impact their U.S. operations, according to a DCNF review of congressional disclosures and legislative records.

Commentary: House Should Plan to Drain the Swamp in January 2025

April 13, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The sad reality is that the Republicans in the House after a narrow victory in the 2022 Congressional midterms do not have enough of a majority to be able to accomplish many big things.

This is not the fault of anyone in leadership, but instead is just the reality of what is at this time a one-vote majority with wildly divergent priorities amongst the GOP members in the House.

Nonbinary Antifa Agitator Charged with Detonating IED Outside Alabama Attorney General’s Office

April 13, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A“nonbinary” Antifa agitator was arrested in Alabama Wednesday for allegedly detonating an explosive device outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office back in February.

Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, was charged with “malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device,” the Department of Justice announced in a press release. Calvert allegedly constructed an IED with screws and nails and detonated it outside the Republican AG’s Office on February 24.

Electricity Prices have Risen Seven Times Faster Under Biden than Trump

April 13, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Electricity prices have experienced a significant rise since the beginning of the Biden administration, rising more than seven times faster than under the entire Trump administration.

The average price of electricity has increased by 29.4% since January 2021 as of March, far greater than the preceding four years under the Trump administration, when electricity prices increased by only 4.0%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The jump in electricity prices accompanies a number of policies from the Biden administration that have curbed energy production, such as a regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency that requires that existing coal-fired power plants cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040.

Investors Scramble to Adjust Their Portfolios After Inflation Surge

April 12, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Many investors are diversifying their portfolios from standard stocks and bonds as March’s inflation surge casts doubt on economy-boosting rate cuts from the Federal Reserve happening this year, according to Reuters.

The consumer price index increased to 3.5 percent year-over-year in March, up from 3.2 percent in February and far from the Fed’s 2 percent target. Markets prior to March’s inflation report anticipated a few rate cuts this year, leading investors to buy up stock in anticipation that markets would rise when cuts materialize, but the increasing possibility that the Fed will not cut rates this year has led investors to switch up their market strategy, according to Reuters.

Harvard Reverses Course, Brings Back Standardized Testing

April 12, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Harvard announced Thursday that it will bring back standardized testing requirements for the admission process.

The Ivy League school first dropped the testing policy in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and later announced in 2021 that it would extend the test-optional policy for four additional years, according to the Harvard Crimson. Hopi Hoekstra, Edgerley Family dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, announced that the requirement would return “starting with next year’s admissions cycle” and claimed that the reinstatement would bring “important information back into the admissions process.”

Commentary: DEI Cronyism and Woke Grifters

April 12, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

When ideology replaces meritocracy or provides immunity from the consequences of illegal behavior, systemic mediocrity follows.

Under toxic National Socialism, Stalinism, and Maoism, millions of cronies and grifters mouthed party lines in hopes that their approved ideology would allow them to advance their careers and excuse their lawbreaking.

Chicago Facing 57 Cases of Measles in Illegal Alien Shelters

April 12, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The city of Chicago has become overrun with third-world diseases such as measles and tuberculosis due to the surge of illegal aliens flooding into the city, with the number of measles cases in the city rivaling nationwide totals.

As reported by Breitbart, health officials in Chicago report 57 “confirmed cases” of measles, with the vast majority being found in the shelters that have been set up for illegals. Of those cases, 33 are children under the age of 4, while 7 cases are children between the ages of 5 and 17, 16 cases are among those between the ages of 18 and 24, and a single case was found in an adult over the age of 50.

Majority of Colleges Tie Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to Graduation Requirements: Report

April 12, 2024April 11, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A majority of colleges and universities require students to take courses related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in order to graduate, according to a new report.

Speech First, a pro-free expression organization, examined the policies of 248 colleges across the country and found that 67 percent of them required DEI coursework to “satisfy general education requirements.” Students enrolled in these courses are “subjected to courses advocating far-left ideological perspectives and pushing far-left political advocacy,” the report notes.

Biden Suggests It’s Risky for Him to Secure Border by Executive Orders

April 12, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

President Joe Biden indicated in a new interview that he is considering taking executive action to secure the southern border.

“Have you made a final decision on taking executive order in terms of what you want to do at the border? That includes the power to shut down the border, as it was suggested,” Univision’s Enrique Acevedo asked Biden in an interview that aired late Tuesday night.

Prices Edge Even Higher as Fed Chair Speculates If Inflation Is Really Under Control

April 11, 2024April 10, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Inflation jumped year-over-year in March amid speculation over whether the rate of inflation is really decelerating, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics release on Wednesday.

The consumer price index (CPI), a broad measure of the price of everyday goods, increased 3.5 percent on an annual basis in March and 0.4 percent month-over-month, compared to 3.2 percent in February year-over-year, according to the BLS. Core CPI, which excludes the volatile categories of energy and food, remained high, rising 3.8 percent year-over-year in March, compared to 3.8 percent in February.

Alleged CIA Officer Caught on Camera Describing How Intelligence Community Sets Up Regime Opponents

April 11, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A man who claims to be with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was caught on camera detailing to an undercover journalist how the intelligence community takes out the regime’s political opponents.

Gavin O’Blennis, an alleged Contracting Officer for the CIA, also worked for the FBI from May 2021 to December 2022 as an operation technician and procurement specialist, according to his LinkedIn account. From there, he went to the Department of Homeland Security where he worked as an immigrations Services Analyst in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn.

Commentary: Biden Losing Support from Swing Voters Due to Southern Border Crisis

April 11, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A striking new NPR / Marist poll reveals swing voters who supported Joe Biden by wide margins in 2020 are retracting their votes, and the unsustainable crisis on the southern border is at the heart of this collapse in support.

The tide has turned on immigration politics in four short years, and a majority of Americans now see the border crisis as an issue that needs to be solved swiftly. The NPR poll reveals a majority of Americans have adopted a harsh deportation mindset, with the nation saying 51 percent to 48 percent that all illegals should be deported. This is a radical change in sentiment from just a few years ago, and speaks to voters’ growing distrust of an Open Borders agenda that imports cheap foreign labor at the expense of American citizens.

Commentary: FBI Refuses to Acknowledge Link Between Islam and Terrorism in Idaho Case

April 11, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

In a case that has gotten almost no establishment media attention the FBI has arrested Alexander Scott Mercurio, 18, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS in connection with a plot to conduct a suicide attack on a church.

After the arrest the Department of Justice issued a news release saying in part:

FBI Whistleblowers Say the Bureau ‘Needs to Be Abolished’

April 11, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Two FBI agents who had their security clearances suspended after speaking to Congress about how law enforcement went after pro-lifers and concerned parents, now warn that the FBI has adopted a “Marxist culture” and called for its abolition.

“The type of recruiting events they have—they have adopted this Marxist culture to permanently change our institutions like the FBI,” Garret O’Boyle, an FBI agent whom House Republicans hailed as a whistleblower, said Tuesday at an Oversight Project event at The Heritage Foundation. “Remember, the FBI are the people with the guns and badges who will come after you.”

Navy Orders ‘Deep Dive’ into Readiness After Massive Ship Deployment Delay

April 10, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The Navy’s top officer ordered a “deep dive” investigation into readiness and maintenance issues after one amphibious assault vessel, the USS Boxer, deployed after months of delay, according to Military.com.

The Boxer carries fighter aircraft and Marines and serves as the flagship of its designated combat unit known as an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), supporting the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy forces across the globe. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said she directed senior officers in February to do an initial investigation into the delays that could provide lessons for the rest of the amphibious fleet, Military.com reported.

Poll Finds Biden Hemorrhaging Support Among Crucial Voting Block — Even as They Trend Democrat on Key Issues

April 10, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

President Joe Biden is losing support among Latinos ahead of the 2024 election despite the crucial voting block moving toward the Democratic Party on key issues, a Tuesday poll found.

Support for Biden among Latino Americans has steadily declined since the last time the question was asked in June 2023, and he now holds only a nine-point favorability lead over former President Donald Trump, according to an Axios/Ipsos survey. The poll also found that Latinos are backing Democrats on the issues of abortion and immigration, and are trending toward the party on the economy and crime.

Commentary: Clinton Allies Attack ‘Good Guy with a Gun’

April 10, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A left-wing group led by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign Chairman claims a “good guy with a gun” is a bad thing. Tell that to the good guy with a gun in Fort Worth who saved his own life, and maybe his children’s lives as well, from shooter JaDerek Gray, who opened fire on him in a road rage incident on I-35 West.

Gray was driving his motorcycle between lanes, which is illegal in Texas. The hero, driving an SUV next to Gray, couldn’t see him and tried to change lanes. Gray, furious, passed the SUV and parked his motorcycle in the middle of the highway, stopping traffic, witnesses said. Gray then pulled a gun and pointed it at the hero, who was in his vehicle with his children.

Commentary: High Gold Price Points to Sustained Inflation

April 10, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

The economy looms large in the minds of most people and not simply because it is an election year. It affects us directly. We spend a lot of our waking hours at work, and our jobs are often connected to the welfare of families and children. With everything being more expensive, getting a toe hold on mere middle-class status is harder now than it was for older generations. Many people are slipping down a rung or three.

In addition to long-term trends like the decline of manufacturing and the cut-throat financialization of corporate America, unique recent events loom large. COVID lockdowns, soon followed by the government money giveaway—PPP loans, augmented unemployment benefits, rent relief, and other stimulus plans—disrupted our routines and affected the entire economy. While these measures likely prevented a deep recession, the shutdowns ruined a lot of businesses, and the various stimulus funds ended up unleashing inflation.