Senate Armed Services Hearing on Worldwide Threats The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services Full Committee hearing on “Open/Closed: To Receive Testimony on Worldwide Threats” is held at 9:30 a.m. ET on May 2.
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Posted: 43 minutes ago

Biden Admin Awards Over $26 Million in Clean Energy Grants to US Projects Clean energy projects across the nation are about to receive a $26.9 million boost from the Biden Administration as part of the latest round of grants from a renewable energy program.
According to a May 1 press release from the Department of Energy, the funding consists of multiple grants that will go to nine states, 27 local governments, and one tribe.
All of the funding is provided through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG), which aims to assist state, local, and tribal governments with initiatives to lower fossil fuel emissions and energy use.
United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm claims the EECBG grants will help lower power and transition costs for communities across the country....

Posted: 2 hours ago

Trump Vows to Revive Auto Manufacturing at Michigan Rally FREELAND, Mich.—President Donald Trump rallied some 3,500 supporters in this working-class community, vowing to reignite the auto industry in the state that has lost thousands of jobs to Mexico and lives under the threat of further erosion of this key industry to competition from China.
Under clear blue skies with two dozen American flags standing straight in the stiff breeze, President Trump criticized the administration’s plan to covert U.S. auto production to electric vehicles, a controversial subject in a state heavily dependent on the automobile industry.
“I’m going to turn it around and bring the car industry back to Michigan,” President Trump said to boisterous cheers. “We’re going to take jobs out of China and bring jobs back to Michigan.”...

Posted: 9 hours ago

White House: Biden Closely Monitoring Campus Protests, Condemns Antisemitism The day after pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the country turned violent as protesters forcibly occupied a building and clashed with police and counter-protesters, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed during a May 1 briefing to state President Joe Biden’s position on the recent developments.
Her answer was a two-pronged general statement reiterating the administration’s continued condemnation of anti-semitism and hate speech and recognition of Americans’ right to protest peacefully within the limits of the law.
Pro-Palestine campus protests have become a national phenomenon from Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas, to Gainesville, Florida, and New York City. Those universities and their local and state law enforcement agencies have reacted to the disruptions in their own way, and the ...

Posted: 11 hours ago

ADP: U.S. Private Payrolls Increased By 192,000 In April Private payrolls in the United States have increased by 192,00 in the month of April.

Posted: 12 hours ago

Massachusetts: No Charges Will Be Filed In Case Of 4 Dead Infants Found In Freezer Following the discovery of four babies' bodies in a freezer in a South Boston apartment, no charges will be filed, according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, who announced the news on Tuesday.

Posted: 12 hours ago

Arizona: Senate Passes Repeal of 1864 Abortion Ban The Arizona State Senate voted to repeal the 1864 abortion ban that was recently ruled enforceable by the Arizona Supreme Court.

Posted: 14 hours ago

Pro-Palestinian Encampment Moves From Columbia University to Fordham University Fordham University student Kara Gilbert, 22, found it difficult to get to class Wednesday due to pro-Palestinian demonstrations at her campus.
Fordham University, located at 113 West 60 Street, is just the latest Manhattan college to be invaded by the disruptive protesters since April.
“It’s hard to get around in the building just because the entrances are closed off. But I did make it to class,” Ms. Gilbert told The Epoch Times.
By 3 p.m. in the afternoon, there was not only an encampment of tents inside the main building but also protesters obstructing two entrances and a group on the roof leading people on the street in song....

Posted: 14 hours ago

Trump Courts Wisconsin as Polls There Waver Back in His Favor Toward the end of his May 1 remarks in conservative Waukesha County, Wisconsin, former President Donald J. Trump referenced a recent Emerson College poll that shows that he is up five points over President Joe Biden in Wisconsin.
But recent positive numbers for President Trump come after his lead in the closely watched swing state softened in April.
One recent survey from Fox News that included Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a possibility even saw President Biden besting his predecessor in the Oval Office by 2 points.
In Wisconsin on May 1, President Trump contrasted “Bidenomics” with “MAGAnomics,” an increasing focus of his speeches....

Posted: 14 hours ago

DeSantis Signs Legislation Banning Lab-Grown Meat On Wednesday, Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation outlawing the production and distribution of lab-grown meat in the state of Florida.

Posted: 14 hours ago

A Victory for Land Rights: Defeating Government Land Grabs, Agenda 2030 In a recent episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek sat down with Margaret Byfield, executive director of American Stewards of Liberty. Ms. Byfield and her organization are working to protect the production of food, fiber, minerals, and energy from government and globalist agendas that seek to erase property rights in the name of conservation and the environment.
Jan Jekielek: The proposal to establish this system of natural asset companies was defeated, and this has been celebrated as a victory. Please explain to us what this is and why it’s important.
Margaret Byfield: In September 2021, the New York Stock Exchange partnered with a group called the Intrinsic Exchange Group [IEG] that was started and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. IEG ...

Posted: 15 hours ago

McConnell Expresses Relief Over Expected Defeat of Bid to Oust Speaker Johnson Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressed relief over the upcoming attempt to strip House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of the gavel as it is expected to fail.
“I’m relieved, as I think all of America is, that the chaos in the House will be discontinued,” Mr. McConnell told reporters on May 1.
“I think it’s a benefit to our country, a benefit to the House, a benefit to the reputation of Congress,” added Mr. McConnell, who is not running for re-election to be Senate GOP leader.
Mr. McConnell’s comments come hours after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (D-Ga.) announced she will move forward next week with her motion to vacate—which is expected to fail as Democrats are set to join most Republicans in ...

Posted: 15 hours ago

Harvey Weinstein Wheeled Into N.Y. Court, Faces New Trial After Rape Conviction Is Overturned Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is now anticipating a new criminal trial in New York. It is set to be scheduled after Labor Day.

Posted: 15 hours ago

Video Shows Father Accused of Fatal Treadmill Punishment on ‘Overweight’ Son A new video shown in court revealed that a New Jersey father had forced his 6-year-old son to run on the treadmill because he was “too fat.”

Posted: 16 hours ago

Rep. Stefanik Demands DOJ Take Up Perjury Referral for Michael Cohen Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) sent a letter on May 1 to the Department of Justice demanding an investigation into Michael Cohen for perjury before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2019.
The letter, coauthored with committee Chair Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), is a follow-up from their November 2023 referral, which the lawmakers say has revealed a “double standard.”
Mr. Cohen is expected to be the Manhattan District Attorney’s star witness in the so-called hush money criminal trial against former President Donald Trump, which is well underway in New York.
Star Witness
Mr. Cohen announced on social media platform X that he would be taking a break from commenting on President Trump until he has been called to testify. However, he has still ...

Posted: 16 hours ago

Senate Moves Closer to Reauthorizing FAA The U.S. Senate moved closer on May 1 to reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration for five more years, though a host of issues remain with the May 10 deadline fast approaching.
The motion to invoke cloture on the bipartisan $105 billion bill was anything but turbulent as the vote was 89–10.
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Chris van Hollen (D-Md.), and John Kennedy (R-La.) voted against invoking cloture on the legislation.
The most notable issue with the measure is increasing the number of long-distance flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which the federal government has jurisdiction over....

Posted: 16 hours ago

House Passes Anti-Semitism Bill Amid Campus Unrest The House on May 1 passed an anti-Semitism bill as pro-Palestinian protests escalate on college campuses across the country.
The legislation passed the lower chamber in a broadly bipartisan 320–91 vote. That included 21 Republicans and 70 Democrats who opposed the legislation, many of whom expressed concerns about a potential chilling effect that the bill could have on free speech because of some ambiguities in the way it’s written.
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which will now go to the Senate for consideration, would apply Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to Jews. Title VI prohibits entities that receive federal taxpayer dollars from discriminating on the basis of race, national origin, or color....

Posted: 16 hours ago

Blinken Meets With Netanyahu Amid Gaza Ceasefire Push, Deliberations on Israeli Offensive in Rafah Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and War Cabinet member Benny Gantz, on May 1 as the United States hopes to facilitate a temporary cease-fire in the ongoing Israel–Hamas war and advance other humanitarian considerations amid the conflict.
“The Secretary discussed ongoing efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal and emphasized that it is Hamas that is standing in the way of a ceasefire,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced after Mr. Blinken arrived in Israel for the talks.
Israeli negotiators recently submitted a proposal for a temporary cease-fire, allowing for a limited exchange of hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. Speaking at ...

Posted: 17 hours ago

Arizona Senate Approves Repeal of Near-Total Abortion Ban Arizona’s near-total abortion ban will be repealed just weeks after the state’s Supreme Court ruled it enforceable.
The Arizona House narrowly passed the repeal on April 24 as three Republicans joined with Democrats to approve the measure.
On May 1, the state Senate followed suit in a 16–14 vote—but not before several disappointed senators had the opportunity to air their grievances.
“What we’re actually voting on is death,” state Sen. Anthony Kern said, chiding the members of his Republican party who voted with Democrats in support of the repeal.
“The Democrat Party stands and runs on death. The Republican Party stands and is supposed to run on life.”...

Posted: 17 hours ago

Appeals Court Denies Trump’s Bid to Have Judge Merchan Recused A New York state appeals court denied a request from former President Donald Trump to have his so-called “hush-money” judge removed.
Lawyers for the former president sought a stay in the proceedings and the recusal of Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial that will likely last for at least another month. Both the application for his recusal and for a stay in the case were denied on Tuesday without explanation by the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division for the First Department.
His lawyers had argued that the trial judge should be removed because he had acted out of his jurisdiction by refusing to recuse himself and restricting the number of docket entries, among other matters....

Posted: 17 hours ago

RFK Jr. Challenges Biden to Sign ‘No-Spoiler Pledge,’ Drop Out Based on Survey NEW YORK—Prompted by the results of a new national poll that showed he is the only candidate who can defeat former President Donald Trump in November, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged President Joe Biden to drop out of the race.
If President Biden does not step aside, Mr. Kennedy challenged him to sign a “no-spoiler pledge.”
Under the pledge, the Democratic National Committee and the Kennedy campaign would agree to co-fund a 50-state poll with 30,000 or more likely voters in mid-October.
“The survey will test the results of a head-to-head race pitting President Biden against President Trump, and a second head-to-head race pitting me against President Trump. Whomever performs weakest against President Trump in a two-man contest will drop out of the ...

Posted: 17 hours ago

Trump to Address Libertarian Convention: ‘We Have Many Libertarian Views’ Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accepted the Libertarian Party’s invitation to address its national convention later this month, an opportunity for the former president to win over third-party voters.
The Libertarian National Convention will be held from May 23 to 26 in Washington. Both President Trump and President Joe Biden were invited to participate, but the Libertarian Party said that only the former president has so far responded to the invitation.
“Libertarians are some of the most independent and thoughtful thinkers in our Country, and I am honored to join them in Washington, DC, later this month,” President Trump said in his message to the Libertarians. “We must all work together to help advance freedom and liberty for every American, ...

Posted: 17 hours ago

House GOP Probes Links Between Biden DOJ and Top Bragg Prosecutor in Trump Trial The House Judiciary Committee is investigating a top prosecutor on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Trump for his past work as a senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official during the Biden administration, amid allegations that the Trump prosecution is politically driven.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in an April 30 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that, as part of the committee’s oversight of “politically motivated prosecutions,” it is concerned that former senior DOJ official Matthew Colangelo is now leading Mr. Bragg’s “politicized” prosecution against the former president.
“That a former senior Biden Justice Department official is now leading the prosecution of President Biden’s chief political rival only adds to the perception that the Biden ...

Posted: 18 hours ago

Trump Rallies in Freeland, Michigan Former President Donald Trump rallies at 6:00 p.m. ET on May 1, in Freeland, Michigan, a major battleground.
...

Posted: 18 hours ago

US Appeals Court Won’t Reconsider Ruling on Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballots A U.S. appeals court that upheld Pennsylvania’s mandate that voters write the date on mail-in ballots declined a new request from liberal groups to rescind the decision.
In March, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Pennsylvania’s requirement that dates be placed on mail-in ballots doesn’t violate a portion of the Civil Rights Act.
A majority of judges wrote that a lower court ruling that reversed the mandate erroneously relied on a provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and other left-leaning groups asked the appeals court to rehear the case before a larger panel of judges. But a majority of the court voted against that, according to the order issued on April 30.... ...

Posted: 18 hours ago

Pentagon Says Hamas May Attack US Troops Building Gaza Pier Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. service members constructing a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza could be attacked as they build the floating dock to ease access for humanitarian aid going into the famine-stricken territory.
Asked by House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on April 30 about the likelihood of shooting warfare between U.S. troops and Hamas terrorists, Mr. Austin replied, “It’s possible, yes.”
“So if someone from land, and Gaza, shoots at our service members who are on the $320 million pier that we’re building, you’re telling me our service members can shoot back?” Mr. Gaetz asked....

Posted: 19 hours ago

Interviews With Supporters Ahead of Trump Rally in Freeland, Michigan NTD interviews with supporters ahead of the Trump rally in Freeland, Michigan, at 2 p.m. ET on May 1.
...

Posted: 19 hours ago

Dismissal of Mayorkas Impeachment Will Embolden Officials to Flout Laws: Rep. Mark Green Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) refusal to allow senators to hear the impeachment case against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will encourage other presidential appointees to refuse to enforce laws passed by Congress, according to Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.).
“We write the law, they execute the law,” said Mr. Green, who, as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, led the Majorkas impeachment effort.
He was referring to the Constitution’s assignment of authority to Congress to write the laws and the executive branch to enforce them.
“We have now allowed an executive branch official, a presidential cabinet-level secretary, to not only not follow the law but to violate the law, and we’ve done nothing to him other than impeach him. He ...

Posted: 19 hours ago

House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Hearing on Taiwan Relations Act The House Foreign Affairs Committee Indo-Pacific Subcommittee holds a hearing to evaluate “the Taiwan Relations Act and Assessing the Future of U.S.-Taiwan Relations” at 2:00 p.m. ET on May 1.
Witness:
Daniel J. Kritenbrink, assistant secretary, Bureau of East Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
...

Posted: 20 hours ago

Powell Speaks After Release of US Fed Policy Decision Fed Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference after releasing U.S. Fed policy decision at 2:30 p.m. ET on May 1.
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Posted: 20 hours ago

Violent Clash Breaks Out Between Pro-Palestinian Activists and Counter-Demonstrators on UCLA Campus Clashes broke out between pro-Palestinian activists and counter-activists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus late on Tuesday night and continued into the early morning hours on Wednesday.
The official UCLA student newspaper, Daily Bruin, reported the clash began around 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday night as around 100 pro-Israel activists attempted to storm an ongoing Palestinian solidarity encampment on campus.
The Tuesday night clashes came after a previous round of clashes on the campus between pro-Palestinian activists and counter-activists the night prior.
“Many of the demonstrators, as well as counter-demonstrators who have come to the area, have been peaceful in their activism,” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement following the Monday clashes. “But the tactics of others have frankly ...

Posted: 20 hours ago

Police, College Officials Say Campus Clashes Stoked by ‘Outside Agitators’ Helmeted police in riot gear have restored order at the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) following a night of clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-demonstrators.
The skirmishes embroiled the Westwood campus in hours-long chaos of swinging pipes, pepper spray, and fireworks.
By daybreak, police from dozens of Los Angeles-area law enforcement agencies were in force at UCLA, where university officials were sorting through the havoc that unfolded early on May 1 after they declared “unlawful” the “Palestinian Solidarity Encampment” erected on campus on April 25 by pro-Palestinian protesters.
While all was calm at UCLA, the scene was anything but tranquil at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where police were deploying “chemical irritant” munitions against protesters....

Posted: 20 hours ago

Senate Committee Hearing on the Current Readiness of the Joint Force The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services holds a hearing on the “Current Readiness of the Joint Force” at 2 p.m. ET on May 1.
...

Posted: 20 hours ago

RFK Jr. Makes Major Announcement in New York Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a major announcement at a press conference in New York City at 1 p.m. ET on May 1.
...

Posted: 21 hours ago

Federal Panel Throws Out Louisiana’s Redrawn Map With Majority-Black Districts A panel of federal judges has thrown out Louisiana’s recently-drawn congressional map that had created a second majority-black district in the state, likely sending the case to the Supreme Court.
In a 2-1 vote on April 30, the three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court in Monroe, Louisiana sided with voters who opposed the new map, finding that it violated the Equal Protection Clause under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
They further agreed that race had played a “predominate role” in the redistricting of the congressional districts in the state and that the new district created by the map, known as District 6, is an “impermissible racial gerrymander.”...

Posted: 21 hours ago

Trump Lays Out Plan for Second Term in TIME Interview In an in-depth interview with TIME magazine, former President Donald Trump laid out his agenda for a second term should he retake the White House in 2025 following the election later this year.
The wide-ranging interview, held over two days at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, with a follow-up phone interview, was the cover story for the magazine titled “If He Wins.”
The interview covers all of the big issues in the 2024 election, ranging from border security and immigration to economic policy, abortion, and foreign affairs.
President Trump also touched on the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach and the related court cases, as well as the legal issues he faces....

Posted: 22 hours ago

Republican Committee Chairs Vow Congressional Response to College Protests House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and the chairs of several of Congress’ most important committees vowed on Tuesday to respond to the ongoing anti-Israel protests at universities across the United States.
“Antisemitism is a virus. Because the administration and university presidents aren’t stepping in, we’re seeing it spread,” Mr. Johnson said. “We have to act and House Republicans will speak to this fateful moment with moral clarity.”
He dismissed college protestors as “terrorist sympathizers,” noting that many had been seen waving flags in support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Islamic terrorist groups.
“You will see Congress respond,” Mr. Johnson said. “You’re gonna see funding begin to dry up, and you’re gonna see every level of accountability we can muster.”...

Posted: 23 hours ago

Police Act to End Pro-Palestine Occupation of Columbia University Building, Students Involved Face Expulsion The New York Police Department entered Hamilton Hall on April 30 and began arresting pro-Palestine protestors who had begun illegally occupying the school building the day before.
Hundreds of protestors outside the Ivy League institution chanted, “Let the students go.”
“We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response,” said Columbia University spokesperson Ben Chang.
“We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. ”
When Maria DeGrasso was arrested on April 18 along with 107 other students for camping on Columbia University’s lawn in support of the Palestine cause, ...

Posted: Yesterday

Trump: A Centrist? How the Elites Plunder Working-Class Americans In a recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek talks with Batya Ungar-Sargon, who recently traveled the country, speaking to everyday Americans about how they perceive the political, economic, and cultural climate. She compiled her findings in a book: “Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America’s Working Men and Women.” Her earlier book was “Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy.”
Jan Jekielek: In 2016, when Donald Trump won the presidency, you noted that two-thirds of the working class voted in his favor.
Batya Ungar-Sargon: It was astonishing, because he got two thirds of white working class voters, and now he’s also dominating with Hispanic voters. In terms of polling right now, he’s looking at a third of black ...

Posted: 2 days ago

The Broken Border and the Humanitarian Crisis In a recent episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek spoke with Chad Wolf about America’s border crisis: the policies of the current administration and of the non-governmental organizations (NGO) that exacerbate this catastrophe; child trafficking; solutions to this massive influx of migrants; and more. Mr. Wolf is the former Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and is now executive director of the America First Policy Institute.
Jan Jekielek: When we interviewed last, the border situation was very different. How does that compare to now?
Chad Wolf: In the first part of 2019, we had a crisis, seeing numbers along the border start to rise....

Posted: 2 days ago

Social Media Poses Numerous Risks to Young Minds, Change ‘Needed Soon’, New Study Warns A new study reveals that social media platforms pose several risks for young children and offers a warning that “change is needed soon.”
The latest report from the American Psychological Association (APA) warns that social media platforms developed for adults are not inherently appropriate for children. Young minds require a higher level of protection due to their mental and emotional vulnerabilities, the April report warns. This is particularly important for children who are already suffering from mental health issues or other developmental challenges.
“Chronological age,” the study warns, “is not directly associated with social media readiness.”
Despite efforts by state lawmakers to set standards to shield minors from harm online, the APA says few meaningful improvements have been made to social media platforms by ...

Posted: 4 days ago

Chattanooga Volkswagen Workers Embrace Union in Historic Vote as UAW Sets Its Sights on the... Chattanooga, Tennessee, is known as “Gig City,” not for its many live music venues but for its role as the first city in the Western Hemisphere to offer 1 gigabit-per-second fiber internet service to residents and businesses, which it did in 2010.
In 2024, Chattanooga has come to be representative of a different movement—the labor movement in the South. An overwhelming vote by the city’s Volkswagen employees on April 19 to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union was the first crack in a decades-long barrier holding back the labor movement south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Until now, the Chattanooga facility had been the only nonunion Volkswagen plant worldwide....

Posted: 4 days ago

Newsom Touts Battery Storage Progress as California Moves Toward Full Electric Reliance California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced April 25 that the state has increased its battery storage capacity by more than 10-fold since 2019, reaching a crucial milestone on its path to 100 percent electricity reliance by 2045.
The governor said increasing battery storage is a crucial part of achieving the ambitious goal of full electricity reliance, as it strengthens the state’s capacity to store energy from renewable sources like solar power during the day for use when solar generation decreases in the evening hours.
“Battery storage is foundational,” Mr. Newsom said during a press conference in Yolo County, alongside state officials at a battery storage and solar facility. “In fact, the excess generation has gone to other states and has gone into more ...

Posted: 5 days ago

Scenes From Chaos: A Journalist Recounts Her Escape From Kabul NEW DELHI—Afghans are landlocked, yet their rivers flow through some extremely rugged geography into seas in South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The country’s civilizational crossroads and trans-regional trade routes are some of the oldest in humanity’s history, making it an unprecedented geopolitical flashpoint.
War, death, and destruction aren’t new to this territory. Neither are victories, defeats, extreme tragedies, as well as great escapes—a very personal thread that runs through the narratives of defeat and victory. Among the many escape stories from the mayhem that was Kabul in August 2021, the story of one female journalist stands out....

Posted: 5 days ago

NYPD Warns Anti-Israel Protesters a ‘Seattle-Style’ Occupation Zone Won’t Be Tolerated As protests escalate across college and university campuses in the United States, a New York Police Department (NYPD) official vowed that a “Seattle-style” occupation zone will not be tolerated on the streets of New York City.
Two New York Police Department (NYPD) officials spoke with Fox News’ “The Story” anchor Trace Gallagher on April 25. The conversation focused on growing concerns that the anti-Israel protests spreading across America’s college campuses might devolve into further violence.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry addressed growing speculation that the student anti-Israel encampments could evolve into something similar to the “autonomous zone” established in Seattle, in Washington state, in response to the death of George Floyd in May 2020, suggesting they might “linger and last ...

Posted: 6 days ago

A Peaceful Appeal for Freedom 25 Years Ago Still Echoes Today A senior official drove by. Then the anti-riot police turned up. They rained down punches and kicks, and threw dozens of people into vans. One gray-haired woman fainted as the police dragged her away, her back scraping the ground.
City officials told the rest of the dazed protesters in Tianjin, a megacity in eastern China, that they would need to go to Beijing to appeal if they wanted the 45 prisoners released.
So they did—although the Tiananmen Square massacre a decade earlier still scarred them.
Ultimately, 10,000 people congregated quietly in Beijing on a day in 1999, now remembered as the April 25 appeal—one of the largest protests in communist China’s recent history....

Posted: Last week

Florida AG Leads Coalition of 25 States Suing Biden Admin Over Emissions Rule Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading a 25-state coalition in suing the Biden administration over its new emissions regulations, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from lightweight vehicles and stimulate electric vehicle (EV) sales.
The lawsuit argues that the new emissions rule—proposed on April 23, 2023, finalized on March 20, 2024, and published in the Federal Register on April 18—exceeds the agency’s statutory authority.
Joining in the lawsuit are the attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming....

Posted: Last week

Biden Admin Tightens HIPAA Restrictions to Keep Abortion Records out of Criminal Probes The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has modified a patient privacy law to prevent abortion records from being accessed for investigations.
The HHS, working with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), enacted what it called the “HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy” for protected health information (PHI).
“Many Americans are scared their private medical information will be being shared, misused, and disclosed without permission,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release. “This has a chilling effect on women visiting a doctor, picking up a prescription from a pharmacy, or taking other necessary actions to support their health.”...

Posted: Last week

Swiss Attorney Exposes WHO’s New Pandemic Treaty and Health Regulations In this recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek talks with Swiss attorney Philipp Kruse, who specializes in international law. He has filed and publicly released a criminal complaint against Swissmedic, the government agency in Switzerland that regulates drugs and medical products. He has also examined, line by line, the World Health Organization’s new pandemic treaty and amendments to international health regulations.
Jan Jekielek: In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s an update to the international health regulations and a new pandemic treaty. Please give us a sense of what’s happening.
Philipp Kruse: At the end of 2021, the WHO [World Health Organization] called its 194 member states together to make a decision about the future and the creation of ...

Posted: Last week

Democrats Bet on Florida as Unlikely Key to Beating Trump Jeb Bush’s 1998 gubernatorial win put a Republican in Florida’s governor’s mansion for the first time since 1991, but it also marked the beginning of a trend that would shape the state’s politics for the next 25 years.
Prior to the late 1990s, the Democratic Party had a political stronghold in Florida. Between 1877 and 1967, every Florida governor but one—the Prohibition Party’s Sidney Johnston Catts—was a Democrat.
Before Mr. Bush’s victory in 1998, Republicans scored incremental victories and captured the state Senate in 1995 and the state House in 1997. Short of a few brief Democratic tenures in the offices of the attorney general, chief financial officer, and commissioner of agriculture, Republicans cemented their control of Florida’s government and won both ...

Posted: Last week

Conservative Lawyers Reveal Retaliation They Faced Over Politics The State Bar Court of California ruled in late March that John Eastman should be disbarred for helping then-President Donald Trump challenge the outcome of the 2020 election.
Mr. Eastman requested that a judge, before the California Supreme Court reviews the case, pause the order prohibiting him from practicing law so he could fund his defense in the criminal case brought against President Trump and his attorneys in Georgia.
Jeffrey Clark, who also tried to help President Trump, is facing a similar disbarment hearing in Washington. The focal point is a “proof of concept” letter he drafted for President Trump in December 2020 that would have asked top Georgia officials to investigate alleged voter fraud in the state....

Posted: Last week

NatCon Cancellation Attempt Shows Rising Threat to Free Speech in Europe News Analysis
The failed attempt to shut down the National Conservatism conference in Brussels, the nerve center of the European Union (EU), made headlines around the world. But it isn’t an isolated incident in Europe, and it’s a worrying sign for Americans even as the First Amendment remains in place—for now.
Emir Kir, the socialist mayor of Brussels district Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, decreed the cancellation of NatCon Brussels 2 on the first of its two days, April 16. That followed cancellations by previous venues in the city and what NatCon backers characterized as a campaign of intimidation against the owner of the third venue, Tunisian-born Ben Yaghlane, and his family....

Posted: Last week

Charter School Founders Accused of Massive Fraud OKLAHOMA CITY—Prosecutors are accusing three men of bilking Oklahoma out of millions of dollars in public school funds through a charter school plan that one of the defendants told a state district court prioritized income.
Lawyers from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office began outlining their case during preliminary hearings March 25–March 29 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, in Oklahoma City.
Their case is based on an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and an investigative audit report released by the State Auditor and Inspector’s office on Oct. 1, 2020.
However, a lawyer for one of the defendants says his client is a legitimate businessman who has become the victim of incompetent state officials running a politically motivated investigation.... ...

Posted: Last week

Many Chronic Diseases Are Preventable Thanks to Lifestyle Changes In a recent episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek and Dr. Robert Lufkin discuss metabolic health, chronic disease, and the importance of lifestyle in preventing these diseases and living fuller, longer lives.
A self-described member of “the medical school academic establishment,” Dr. Lufkin has published hundreds of scientific papers and received millions of dollars in government funding. He is also the author of “Lies I Taught in Medical School: And the Truths That Can Save Your Life.”
Jan Jekielek: Please tell us about yourself.
Dr. Robert Lufkin: I’ve spent my career at two large medical schools with the academic rank of full professor. I’ve published hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers. My laboratory has received millions of dollars from the federal government ...

Posted: 2 weeks ago

Confluence 2024 Focuses on Building ‘Resilient Communities’ BANDERA, Texas—Amongst the velvet-green hills and honey-hued grazing fields of Mollie Engelhart’s life, love, and passion—regenerative farming—freedom thrives at Sovereignty Ranch in West Texas.
It’s the freedom to raise livestock, work in moist brown soil growing healthy food, create the natural medicines she uses, and raise her children the way she sees fit.
It’s the freedom to live the way she chooses.
Far from being a radical utopian concept, Sovereignty Ranch is a practical community of people committed to human liberty and independence.
Its purpose is to bring like-minded people together in harmony with nature against an overreaching government hostile to their very existence....

Posted: 2 weeks ago

CCP’s Persecution of Faith Group Sparks ‘Single Largest Whistleblower’ Movement: Documentary NEW YORK—The Chinese regime’s human rights abuses have turned a group of meditators into its “single largest whistleblower,” according to a new documentary.
Released on April 15, the short film titled “the Long Arm of Beijing” draws attention to Beijing’s long-running campaign to silence the targeted spiritual community Falun Gong, a group espousing tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance in China and globally.
The chain of events goes back to China’s 1990s, when the faith group was the “pride of a nation.” Some 70-100 million people took up the practice then over its health benefits—around one in every 13 individuals in the mainland. That changed in 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decided Falun Gong’s popularity was a threat to its ...

Posted: 2 weeks ago

US Blows Millions on Penalties With No Solution for Radioactive Nuclear Waste The United States still has no plan for permanently storing more than 94,000 tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear waste produced by nuclear power plants, despite a 1998 deadline that required the federal Department of Energy (DOE) to have a facility available to accept the waste.
House members of the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security rehashed the costly problem in a hearing this week, finding bipartisan agreement that the problem must be solved, but they did not define any real solutions.
The nation’s first nuclear power plant, in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, went online in 1957, with many more having gone into operation since. Some have completed their life cycles and no longer have operating reactors. But with no permanent storage, spent ...

Posted: 2 weeks ago

20 States Move to Prevent Biden Administration from ‘Sue-and-Settle’ Border Tactics The attorneys general of 20 states have joined forces to prevent the Biden administration from relying on “sue-and-settle” maneuvers to skirt accountability for the president’s border policies.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen are leading the coalition supporting five intervenor states.
Filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on April 5, the brief seeks to protect the sovereign status of states to uphold immigration laws when the president surrenders his obligation to do so.
The 20 amici states—Montana, Florida, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia—are focused on the right of states to defend statutes implemented to ...

Posted: 3 weeks ago

Property Rights Activist Explains Trap Posed by Plan to Trade America’s Natural Resources A Wall Street proposal to create a new type of publicly traded company that would buy controlling rights to America’s public and private land could have allowed “world elites” to profit from the country’s natural resources, had it not been withdrawn three months later, according to Margaret Byfield, executive director of American Stewards of Liberty.
At the end of September 2023, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) filed a proposal to create and list Natural Asset Companies (NACs). These companies would pool investors’ money from around the world to buy the rights to land in the United States, with the goal of restricting its use to “sustainable” endeavors....

Posted: 3 weeks ago

Amidst Growing Resistance, the WHO Turns Up Heat on Members to Sign Pandemic Treaty As the deadline approaches for the 194 member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) to sign agreements granting broad new powers to this U.N. subsidiary, its advocates are turning up the heat on member countries to get on board, despite growing resistance to the deal.
On March 20, WHO Ambassador and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed a campaign by a “100+ pantheon of global leaders” urging member nations to sign.
“A high-powered intervention by 23 former national Presidents, 22 former Prime Ministers, a former UN General Secretary, and 3 Nobel Laureates is being made today to press for an urgent agreement from international negotiators on a Pandemic Accord, under the Constitution of the World Health Organization, to bolster the ...

Posted: 3 weeks ago