Author: Michigan Star Staff

This weekend, public service announcements will remind us daylight saving time is over. This means you have to set your clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. on March 10.

This semiannual ritual shifts our rhythms and temporarily makes us groggy at times when we normally feel alert. Moreover, many Americans are confused about why we spring forward in March and fall back in November, and whether it is worth the trouble.

Trump Ramps Up Black Male Voter Outreach in Swing States amid Biden’s Declining Support: Report

Former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is ramping up its efforts to target black male voters in crucial swing states, The Washington Post reported.

The former president has been making gains with black voters as President Joe Biden has been hemorrhaging support, polls have shown. Trump’s campaign will likely focus on black men who own guns and frequently attend church in order to grow his base, advisers told the Post, who were granted anonymity to characterize private conversations.

Job Gains Surge for Another Month as Unemployment Ticks Up

The U.S. added 275,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in February as the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.

Economists anticipated that the country would add 200,000 jobs in February compared to the 353,000 that were added in January, and that the unemployment rate would remain at 3.7%, according to Reuters. The job gains were announced two days after Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, told the House Financial Services Committee in its semi-annual monetary policy report that he does not believe that there is evidence for a recession, meaning rate cuts could be on the horizon.

Commentary: Americans Are Worse Off than Four Years Ago

The State of the Union is not strong. Americans are facing a cost-of-living crisis, high crime, and an unsecured southern border as a direct result of Democrats’ failed policies led by perpetrator-in-chief Joe Biden.

Instead of taking accountability for these pressing national challenges, Biden promised more of the same in his State of the Union address Thursday night.

Commentary: Opposing Illegal Immigration Is Not About Race

Over there at the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters, managing editor Curtis Houck has published the oh-so-typical latest from the leftist swamp that is MSNBC.

‘Needs to Do Better’ Liberals Slam Biden’s SOTU Comment Calling Laken Riley’s Alleged Murderer ‘An Illegal’

Liberals slammed President Joe Biden’s use of the noun “illegal” when describing 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley’s alleged murderer during his State of the Union address Thursday.

Republicans demanded the president say Riley’s name during his speech, as he had yet to directly address the tragedy publicly since she was killed on Feb. 22. Biden’s comments were met with criticism from his left flank for how he characterized Jose Antonio Ibarra, the murder suspect who is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela released into the country under the president’s administration.

Trump Posts $91 Million Bond as He Appeals E. Jean Carroll Verdict

Former President Donald Trump on Friday posted a civil bond of $91.6 million as he appeals a defamation award against him obtained by Elizabeth Jean Carroll.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in the 2024 election, was sued by Carroll, a columnist for Elle magazine, on allegations that he defamed her in verbal attacks during a separate legal proceeding, where she sued him for civil damages over an alleged sexual assault in the 1990s. Carroll obtained a judgment of $83.3 million against Trump in January, which Trump has appealed, and posted a “supersedeas” bond of that amount, plus anticipated interest and other costs, on Friday, in a filing submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Layoffs Surge for Another Month Despite Job Gains

March 8, 2024March 7, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Layoffs at U.S. companies surged for another month as businesses adjusted to current market conditions, despite huge reported job gains, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Job cuts increased to 84,638 in February, 3% higher than in January when layoffs also soared, and 9% higher than February last year, which had 77,770 cuts, according to the report. The layoffs are in spite of strong reported job growth, with the U.S. adding 353,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in January, far higher than expectations of 180,000.

Alabama Gov Signs Law Protecting IVF After Landmark Ruling Declared Frozen Embryos ‘Children’

Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill Wednesday evening that gives medical professionals who freeze embryos for fertility treatments immunity from criminal prosecution.

The bill was proposed by lawmakers in February after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) were “children” and multiple IVF clinics shut down as a result due to concerns about being prosecuted. Ivey announced that she had signed the bill in a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Commentary: The Federal Government is Deciding Who Can Start a Small Business

March 8, 2024March 7, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Just when it seemed impossible for things to get tougher for small businesses, the federal government decided to make things worse.

Small businesses have had a tough run for the last few years. Record inflation, high interest rates, and workforce shortages have led to widespread pessimism among small businesses. The last thing they need is more government interference, but that is exactly what is happening.

Top Contender to Take over Massive Union Has Repeatedly Been Accused of Union Busting

The presumptive heir to the position of president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has had employees under her command complain of union-busting tactics and retaliation, according to a report from the Center for Union Facts.

April Verrett, the current secretary treasurer of the SEIU and the former president of SEIU Local 2015, is a top contender to replace the current outgoing president, Mary Kay Henry, according to the report. In both positions, Verrett was reportedly part of the management that faced off with SEIU employees, who had organized separately from the SEIU, about working conditions and contract negotiations.

Struggling Bank Gets Bailed Out with Help from Former Trump Admin Treasury Secretary

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) announced on Thursday that it would be getting more than $1 billion from investors to help stabilize the bank, including from a firm run by a former Trump administration Treasury secretary.

The bank will receive $450 million from Mnuchin Liberty Strategic Capital, headed by former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, as well as a $250 million and $200 million investment from Hudson Bay Capital and Reverence Capital, according to an announcement from the bank. NYCB posted a $252 million loss in the fourth quarter of 2023, sending its stock to the lowest level since 1997 and worrying investors about another potential crisis in the banking sector, accordingto CNN.

Merrick Garland Vows to Fight Against Voter ID Laws

March 7, 2024March 6, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Attorney General Merrick Garland recently declared his intentions to actively combat voter ID laws being enacted in various states, falsely claiming that such laws “disadvantage minorities.”

As reported by Breitbart, Garland appeared alongside Vice President Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) at an event in Selma, Alabama on Sunday. At the event, Garland described such efforts to protect election integrity as “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary.”

Biden Administration Using ‘Secretive Flights’ to Import 320,000 Illegal Aliens into U.S.

A new report suggests that the Biden Administration has not only been letting illegal aliens into the country through a porous southern border, but that the administration has even been actively importing illegals with “secretive flights.”

As Breitbart reports, the claims were made by Todd Bensman, Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), who obtained internal records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

Commentary: Taxpayer U

The college horror stories are endless. A mandatory Title IX training session at Harvard instructs students that “fatphobia” and “cis-heterosexism” perpetuate violence and that using the wrong pronouns constitutes abuse. Yet, hatred against Jews is tolerated at the school.

In California, community colleges teach that if someone claims they are not a racist, they are in denial and that colorblindness “perpetuates existing racial inequities and denies systematic racism.” A Michigan college held a “queer” abortion stories event earlier this year. The once-venerable University of Chicago is planning to host a “kink and consent” workshop for students, in which the practice of sex play with ropes will be taught.

Chinese Investors Flee Country’s Market as Beijing Fails to Prop Up Economy

Chinese investors are racing to put funds in offshore assets as Beijing fails to successfully prop up the country’s ailing economy, according to Reuters.

China’s Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor program, which serves as an avenue for investors in the country to buy foreign securities, jumped 50% in January year-over-year, butting up against the $165.5 billion limit that Beijing has set on the fund, according to Reuters. Li Qiang, China’s premier, announced on Tuesday steps to transform the country’s development model and increase growth that has failed to pick up since the COVID-19 pandemic, with factors like deflation, poor household consumption and huge real estate debts dragging down the economy.

Commentary: Giving the FTC More Power Won’t Keep Kids Safe Online

We have seen a rise in parents concerned about social media’s impact on our children across Tennessee and America. As a proud parent and the chairman of Latinos for Tennessee, I firmly believe that parents must play a central role in ensuring the safety of our children online. I also firmly believe in states’ rights and that when it comes to enforcing legislation to protect our children, I trust Tennessee’s own Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti much more than the bureaucrat-heavy Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

I have previously written that the well-being of future generations depends on our federal representatives taking appropriate action to protect children by empowering parents. This issue has become even more pressing as children increase their daily screen time. As a leader in the Latino community, I worry because, “Latino adolescents have a higher rate of social media use” and “face greater risks of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes,” according to the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University.

Mitch McConnell Endorses Trump in 2024 Presidential Race

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday.

The relationship between McConnell and Trump has been strained for years; the two have reportedly not spoken since December 2020 and the senate leader blamed the former president for incting the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol in 2021. McConnell’s endorsement announcement for Trump comes just hours after the 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.

Liver Cancer in Teens, Reduced Sexual Function, Lack of Consent: Internal Docs Reveal Experimental Nature of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

March 6, 2024March 5, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Doctors at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health repeatedly struggled with various side effects of what they call “gender-affirming care,” including cancer in teens, reduced sexual function, and the lack of informed consent for procedures with lifelong impacts, newly unearthed documents reveal.

WPATH, a controversial organization that transgender advocates and health agencies use to justify “transgender” medical interventions, frames itself as the leading expert organization on medical care for people who identify as transgender. It has faced criticism for advocating experimental practices that ignore serious concerns about informed consent and long-term side effects.

John Barrasso Passes on Senate Leadership Run, Goes for Number Two Slot Instead

Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, will not run for leadership of the conference following the retirement of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from the position, according to a press release emailed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Barrasso has served in the Senate since June 2007 and was elected chairman of the conference in 2018, where he is among a trio of senior senators alongside McConnell and Senate Minority Whip John Thune who lead Senate Republicans. After McConnell announced his retirement from his post on Feb. 28, Barrasso was speculated to be considering a candidacy for the leadership, but on Tuesday announced he was running for the role of Assistant Republican Leader, who nominally holds the role of the party whip.

Commentary: 2024 GOP Nomination Is the Fight over America First vs. Global World Government

Political commentators and talking heads of the established regime have been abuzz over a comment made by former Ambassador Nikki Haley following her drubbing in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. Dana Bash of CNN asked Haley, “Isn’t it possible the party (GOP) has moved, and the party is about Donald Trump and not what you’re describing, which might be the party of yesterday?” Haley admitted that “It is very possible.”

Note the framing Bash set out. Either the Republican Party is the party of yesterday; or, it is nothing but a cult of personality around Donald Trump. Haley dutifully played the role of stooge and walked into it, agreeing “it is very possible” that is the situation.

Feds Shell Out Thousands on Computer Lessons for LGBT Refugees, Fostering ‘Economic Inclusion’ in Latin America

The federal government has used taxpayer dollars to fund services for LGBT refugees in Latin America over the past couple of years, federal grants show.

The State Department and the Inter-American Foundation, an independent federal agency, funded a trio of grants between August 2021 and October 2023 aimed at bolstering Costa Rica’s status as a haven for LGBT asylum seekers, funding a project to help LGBT refugee entrepreneurs as well as teaching gay and trans refugees how to use computers. The three programs collectively received almost $300,000 in federal funds.

Commentary: Trump’s Reelection Effort is Becoming the Hero’s Journey

I’ve got to give Jeremy Boreing, who currently serves as CEO of the Daily Wire, credit for the concept you’re about to hear. Boreing was partnered with conservative independent media star Bill Whittle in a company called Declaration Entertainment, which was exploring a business model not dissimilar to the crowdfunding platform that Angel Studios is maximizing to produce conservative content, when he gave a speech to a Heritage Foundation “Resource Bank” conference held in New Orleans about a decade ago now.

Boreing’s talk was an exhortation to conservatives to produce cultural content.

8 Million Illegals to Continue Living Freely in U.S. Despite Awaiting Deportation: Report

A federal report projects that there will be over 8 million illegal aliens living in the United States, free to roam and do as they please, despite currently awaiting deportation proceedings by the end of 2024.

As reported by Breitbart, this will result in a tripling of the number of non-detained illegals who otherwise would be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as they prepare for deportation. By the end of Fiscal Year 2023, there were at least 6.2 million illegals living in the U.S. who had not been detained by ICE despite facing deportation; 1.3 million of these illegals had already been given final deportation orders by federal judges.

Commentary: America Leaving NATO Would Be Good for Itself and Europe

Donald Trump resumed his role as the “wise fool” in recent, off-the-cuff remarks about NATO. He suggested that free-riding NATO members who do not pay their fair share might have to fight Russia on their own. National security hawks and Trump’s media enemies responded with lots of pious talk about our sacred NATO obligations. Joe Biden even said Trump was “un-American.”

Trump is not the first to suggest NATO partners should pay their fair share. But unlike his predecessors, he is willing to employ some leverage to make it happen. The real dirty secret here, as evidenced by how long this situation has gone on, is that enabling the Europeans to neglect their own defense is a feature and not a bug of America’s dominance over the NATO organization.

Yale University Employs Nearly one Administrator per Undergrad

Yale University employs more than three administrators and support staff for every four undergraduate students – roughly one administrator per undergrad, according to a College Fix analysis.

Over the last decade, Yale added 631 administrators and support staff to its payroll, according to data provided by administrators to the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

As the university embraced new DEI efforts, the number of administrators and support staff increased by 13 percent, from 4,942 to 5,573, between 2013-14 and 2021-22, the analysis found.

California Seized Enough Fentanyl Last Year to Kill Entire World ‘Nearly Twice Over’

The California National Guard seized a record 62,224 pounds of fentanyl in California and the state’s ports of entry – enough of the potent synthetic opioid to kill the entire world population “nearly twice over.”

Since 2021, fentanyl seizures supported by CalGuard have increased by 1066%, according to the governor’s office.

Government Admission: Biden Parole Flights Create Security ‘Vulnerabilities’ at U.S. Airports

Thanks to an ongoing Center for Immigration Studies Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, the public now knows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has approved secretive flights that last year alone ferried hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens from foreign airports into some 43 American ones over the past year, all pre-approved on a cell phone app.

But while large immigrant-receiving cities and media lay blame for the influx on Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing program, CBP has withheld from the Center – and apparently will not disclose – the names of the 43 U.S. airports that have received 320,000 inadmissible aliens from January through December 2023, nor the foreign airports from which they departed. The agency’s lawyers have cited a general “law enforcement exception” without elaborating – until recently – on how releasing airport locations would harm public safety beyond citing “the sensitivity of the information.”

Commentary: Reality Is Dawning on the Democrats

You might recognize “The Look” when you see it. It made its debut on the faces of American television and media pundits during the early evening hours of Nov. 8, 2016, as the undeniable specter of a Trump presidency began to take hold.

Today, “The Look 2.0” is back. The most recent iteration is a mixture of resignation tinged with intense discomfort – a sanguine sense of impending doom born of the many dysfunctions of the Biden administration and the increasing realization that the lawfare campaign waged against Donald J. Trump is backfiring.

Antidepressant Prescriptions for Youth Surged During COVID Pandemic

A new study shows that the prescription of antidepressants for youth skyrocketed during the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, rising by a staggering 65.3%.

As reported by Axios, the research from Pediatrics shows that the spike in such prescriptions may have been caused by a number of factors, including a shortage in mental health workers in schools and the shift towards remote forms of medical treatment such as “telehealth” and remote prescribing, which only contributed to a sense of isolation and depression brought on by the nationwide lockdowns.

San Francisco to Vote on Measure to Drug-Test Welfare Recipients

The far-left city of San Francisco will soon be voting on measures that could reverse liberal policies when it comes to crime, drug use, and homelessness, in what would mark a stunning rebuke of progressive policies in the Democratic stronghold.

As reported by Fox News, when Californians go to vote on Tuesday in the “Super Tuesday” primaries, San Francisco residents will be able to vote on several ballot measures including Proposition F and Proposition E.

10 Percent of 2020 Biden Voters Now Back Trump: Poll

March 3, 2024March 2, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Ten percent of President Joe Biden’s 2020 voters now back former President Donald Trump, a new poll found.

While 97 percent of voters who cast their ballot for Trump in 2020 still plan to vote for him, Biden is only attracting 83 percent of his previous voters, according to a New York Times and Siena College poll. Trump has a five-point lead overall, ranking ahead of Biden 48% to 43%, the poll shows.

Catholic Churches Attacked 400 Times Since 2020, Tracker Finds

March 3, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Catholic churches in the United States have been attacked at least 400 times over the past four years, according to data compiled by the Catholic advocacy organization CatholicVote.

The hundreds of attacks across the nation began in connection with widespread civil unrest in May 2020, CatholicVote said. Examples include church burnings, beheadings of statues of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary, swastikas painted on grave stones, satanic and blasphemous statements graffitied on walls, windows smashed, Masses disrupted, and even the murder of a Catholic priest.

Commentary: The Left’s ‘Christian Nationalism’ Fearmongering Is Untethered to Reality

March 3, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Is America on the verge of establishing a theocracy? The Left’s recent warnings about the rise of “Christian nationalism” suggest that a powerful, conservative Christian cabal is pulling the strings behind the scenes to forcibly convert the entire nation, or something.

In the past week, Politico’s Heidi Przybyla has been hammering the drum on this issue, first claiming—apparently without concrete evidence—that former Trump administration official Russell Vought has prioritized “Christian nationalism” by name in documents for a potential Trump second term, and then defining Christian nationalism as the doctrine that rights come from God, not government.

Commentary: Immigration Drove America’s Biggest Population Growth Ever Recorded

March 3, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Immigration is behind the biggest annual population increase in the history of the United States, according to an independent research firm.

“US population grew +3.8M in 2023 – the largest one-year increase in US history,” tweeted Eric Finnigan of John Burns Research and Consulting (JBREC) earlier this month.

Poll: A Majority of Americans Support Building the Border Wall

March 2, 2024March 1, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

A new poll suggests that more Americans than ever before support the idea of building a wall along the southern border, as the mass migration crisis rages out of control and has cost more American lives.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the latest poll from Monmouth University shows that 53% of respondents support building the wall, while 46% oppose it, marking the first time ever that a Monmouth poll has shown majority support for the proposal. While more Republicans and independents support the wall than in past years, Democratic support for the idea has fallen.

Montana Judge Throws Out Three Laws Restricting Abortion

A Montana judge ruled Thursday that three of the state’s laws limiting abortion were unconstitutional, according to the Daily Montanan.

The laws banned abortion after 20 weeks and by way of telehealth services, as well as required a 24-hour waiting period and two ultrasounds. District Court Judge Kurt Krueger sided with Planned Parenthood of Montana, who filed the lawsuit, arguing that the government should not be able to “infringe” on bodily autonomy any more than it can force someone to have an abortion, according to the Daily Montanan.

Commentary: American Paralysis and Decline

“We can bear neither our diseases nor their remedies.”

So shrugged the ancient historian Livy (59 B.C.- A.D. 17) of the long decline of Roman national character that, in his age, finally ended the Roman Republic.

Commentary: Battleground States Reject Biden on the Border

Michigan is very much in play for November.

Our new poll shows a dead heat, with Trump and Biden tied at 43% each and 14% undecided for this key swing state. With Trump leading comfortably right now in Georgia and North Carolina, a win in Michigan could well tip the entire election to the 45th president.

Average Long-Term Mortgage Rises to 6.94 Percent in Fourth Consecutive Weekly Increase

On Thursday, the average long-term mortgage rate in the United States rose for the fourth week in a row, in a setback for Americans looking to potentially buy a home in the traditional homebuying season of spring.

According to ABC News, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac announced that the average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose from 6.90% to 6.94%. Although this is slightly less than the recent high of 6.95% in December, it is still higher than what it was at the same time one year ago, when the average rate was 6.65%.

Bukele Generates More than $30 Million in Profits for El Salvador with Bitcoin