Day: August 2, 2022

Former Augusta Commissioner Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison After Conviction for Falsifying Records

Addison Basurto

The former Augusta District 4 Commissioner, Sammie Lee Sias, 67, of Hephzibah, faces up to 20 years in federal prison after he was found guilty by a U.S. District Court jury of record falsification and making a false statement to a U.S. agency by the Southern District of Georgia on Friday.

“Former Commissioner Sias knew his handling of sales tax funds was under investigation, and he deleted thousands of electronic files within hours of a federal order requiring him to provide those files,” U.S. Attorney David H. Estes said. 

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Biden Admin to Investigate Major University for Alleged ‘Hostile Environment of Anti-Semitism’

Admin

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for allegedly creating a “hostile environment of anti-semitism” on campus, according to a press release.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a complaint in November 2020 to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for Rose Ritch, a USC student who was forced to resign from her role as student body vice president after students allegedly harassed her for being a “Zionist” and excluded her because she is Jewish, according to the press release. The OCR notified the Brandeis Center that it will investigate the university on Tuesday, the center announced.

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Commentary: The Real MAGA Movement Does Not Back Down

Admin

Everyone wants to be an America-First Republican these days. This includes a bevy of #NeverTrump types who have rebranded themselves as born-again MAGA Republicans. 

While I am all for converts, I’m always skeptical of grifters. It should have been obvious that the GOP had gone off the rails prior to Trump. In the Bush years, the country lost its way fighting endless wars in the Middle East while abandoning all fiscal discipline. The fully Republican-controlled federal government presided over the continuing deindustrialization of America and did nothing to stop the disunifying policy of massive, sustained immigration. In 2008 and 2012, the Republican establishment ran sketchy neoconservatives for president, even though neoconservative policies had authored George W. Bush’s failures. 

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Poll: Americans Reject Violent Protests, Protesting Outside Homes

Admin

Americans do not believe it is right to protest outside the home of Supreme Court justices or conduct protests that interfere with the justices’ personal lives, a new poll found.

Around 61% of Americans believe that protesters should not interfere in the private lives of Supreme Court justices, according to the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) poll released Wednesday. The poll found that Americans were uncomfortable with protesters invading spaces such as restaurants or the neighborhoods of the Justices in order to voice their opinions.

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Despite the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Gay Marriage, Almost Two-Thirds of States Define Marriage as Union of One Man, One Woman

Admin

The Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the nation is in the news again with the House’s passage last week of legislation codifying that 2015 ruling as part of U.S. law.

In the years before the high court ruled in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, 38 states defined marriage by law as an exclusive union between one man and one woman.

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Poll: Most Americans Worried About War with Russia, See Conflict with China as ‘Likely’

Admin

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday found that roughly half of Americans are worried the U.S. will go to war with a major nuclear-armed power in the near future.

The Scott Rasmussen National Survey found that 58% of Americans felt “somewhat” or “very worried” the ongoing war in Ukraine could lead to a conflict between the U.S. and Russia, and exactly half of respondents said they thought it likely that the next decade could see war with China. Roughly a third of respondents said President Biden had done a “good” or “excellent” job at managing the situation in Russia and Ukraine, while 24% rated his performance as “fair.”

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Commentary: Amid Recession Fears, Economically Free States Continue to Outperform

RealClearWire

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently responded to questions about California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ads airing in Florida, “It’s almost hard to drive people out of a place like California given all their natural advantages, and yet they are finding a way to do it.” He noted that California is hemorrhaging its population because of bad progressive economic policies so that they could be more free

Florida ranks third in the nation for economic freedom, according to the Fraser Institute. And California ranks second to last.

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Healthcare Workers Win $10.3 Million Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit over COVID Vaccine Mandate

Susan Berry, PhD

The nation’s first class action lawsuit for healthcare workers fighting COVID vaccine mandates has led to a $10.3 million settlement agreement, filed Friday, for the workers who were denied religious exemptions from the COVID shot mandate and terminated when they did not comply.

Liberty Counsel settled the lawsuit on behalf of more than 500 current and former healthcare workers from NorthShore University HealthSystem in Illinois who argued they were victims of religious discrimination.

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Three More States Are Poised to Ban Abortion Amid Court Battles

Admin

Idaho, Tennessee and Texas are moving to enact “trigger bans” restricting abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade June 24, ending the precedent which had banned states from restricting abortion throughout the first six months of pregnancy.

The bans in these three states will take effect 30 days after the Supreme Court officially transmitted its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Association July 26, according to The Hill. Another 10 states had trigger bans go into effect after elected officials enacted them, and trigger abortion bans went into effect immediately after the court overturned Roe in three other states.

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Republicans Lead Congressional Ballot as Biden Dips Below Trump, Carter Approval Ratings

The Center Square

Republicans have a sizable edge over Democrats as the midterm elections draw closer, according to a new poll.

Updated CBS News’ Battleground Tracker data now projects 230 House seats for Republicans, compared to 205 for Democrats. Currently, Democrats have a slight majority in the House 221 to 214.

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Britain’s National Health Service to Shut Down Gender Clinic Pushing Puberty Blockers

Susan Berry, PhD

Britain’s Tavistock & Portman National Health Service (NHS) Clinic is shutting down following a review that found the clinic, which has led the way in prescribing puberty blockers for young children claiming to be transgender, is not a “safe or viable long-term option.”

The north London clinic “has been accused of rushing teenagers into life-altering treatment on hormone-blocking drugs,” The Times of London reported Friday, opening the way for potential lawsuits by patients with claims of mistreatment.

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Atlanta Mayor Courts Democrats for 2024 DNC Convention

Addison Basurto

City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other Georgia Democrats welcomed DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison in a tour of State Farm Arena on Friday as part of their attempt to win the bid for Georgia’s capital to host the 2024 DNC National Convention.

“This week, Atlanta welcomed Democratic National Convention officials to promote its bid to host the 2024 convention. Our city is clearly the place to be!” The City of Atlanta Government said in a Facebook post on Friday.

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