Month: February 2023

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is partnering with a George Soros-funded nonprofit to study and establish a “direct file” tax return system, according to FedScoop.

The nonprofit, New America, alongside Loyola Law School Associate Professor of Law Ariel Jurow-Kleiman, will create a feasibility study authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires that the IRS work with independent third parties to establish free, online direct tax-filing, according to FedScoop. New America draws funding from a litany of left-learning philanthropic organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures LLC and the Soros-backed Open Society Foundations, according to New America’s funding disclosure.

Lawmakers Re-introduce Bill to Ban TikTok in the United States

February 19, 2023 M.D. Kittle

TikTok’s days in the United States could be numbered under a bipartisan bill re-introduced by the heads of congress’ new Committee on China.

Reps Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) on Friday submitted the legislation, which would ban the controversial video-sharing app from operating in the United States.

Former President Jimmy Carter to Enter Hospice Care, Cater Center Says

February 19, 2023February 18, 2023 Just the News

Former President Jimmy Carter will begin receiving hospice care this week, the Carter Center announced on Saturday.

The Democratic politician, who at 98 is the oldest president in United States history, made the decision to forego all additional medical care, his charity said in a statement.

Commentary: Increasing Wokeness and Class Division Threaten to Tear the Left Apart

Tensions are rising between those who profess to want to redefine the “soul” of America and those who have traditionally provided them the votes to win elections.

A new report from the Manhattan Institute warns that increasing tensions inside the Democratic Party between woke White elites and working class voters threaten to tear the party apart.

CMT Crossroads: FOR KING + COUNTRY and Jimmie Allen Airs February 28

February 19, 2023 Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee- One of the most fascinating shows on CMT is its innovative series, “CMT Crossroads,” which pairs country artists with musicians from other genres.

Communist China Cracked Down on Christians in 2022, Report Says

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censored, fined, politically indoctrinated and forcibly disappeared Chinese Christians in 2022, according to a new report from the nonprofit ChinaAid Tuesday.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) reportedly employed a range of new methods to persecute Chinese Christians in 2022 including fabricating charges of fraud as well as criminalizing the legal international travel of church leaders, the report states. China’s crackdown on Christianity reportedly intensified in the run-up to the CCP’s 20th Party Congress in October 2022, during which time General Secretary Xi Jinping secured a third term as the communist nation’s supreme leader, according to ChinaAid.

Commentary: After School Satan Club Provokes Parent Outrage

A Virginia school board is considering revising its policies on after-school clubs following conflict over a new “After School Satan Club.”

The Chesapeake Public School Board previously allowed the Satan club to meet on school property, stipulating it pay over $600 for security for each meeting, something the district’s policy allows, local media reports.

Commentary: Everyone Should Read Great Literature

When I first attended a Shakespeare play, I have to admit that for the first few scenes I was pretty lost. Shakespeare’s English is of a much older and more formal style than ours, so sometimes experiencing his work is almost like hearing another language. Confused and concerned that the play wasn’t going to make any sense, I began to fear that most dreaded of sensations in our modern age of instant entertainment: boredom.

St. Mary’s College Says Biological Sex Messaging Does ‘Not Align’ with Its Mission

Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, denied the foundation of a Turning Point USA chapter, according to an email from the dean of students, because Turning Point USA’s messaging on biological sex does “not align” with the Catholic college’s mission.

Claire Bettag, a sophomore student from Chicago, pushed back against Saint Mary’s denial of the club over the course of several months, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Signal. But the college’s dean of students, Gloria Jenkins, ultimately told Bettag that Turning Point USA’s messaging on transgender issues does not align with Saint Mary’s mission.

Trump to Visit Ohio Town After Toxic Train Derailment

February 18, 2023February 18, 2023 Admin

Former President Donald Trump will visit East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday after a train derailment caused a toxic chemical plume to pollute the town, a source familiar with the plan told Fox News. Trump will visit with members of the community who are dealing with the aftermath of a Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred earlier this month, the source told Fox News. The derailment led to the evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents before a controlled release was performed to prevent an explosion, which subsequently released a hazardous mixture of chemicals into the air and water.

Pentagon Will Pay for Travel to Other States for Abortions

February 18, 2023February 17, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

The Department of Defense (DOD) will pay for troops to travel to states that allow abortions and obtain so-called “reproductive health care” at non-military facilities, according to a new policy released Thursday evening.

The landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision gave states the authority to determine localized abortion policies. The Hyde amendment bars DOD from administering abortions at military medical facilities, the new policy carves out provisions for expanded leave times and set-aside funding for servicemembers stationed in states that restrict abortions to cross state boundaries to obtain the procedure.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson Reignites Effort to Protect America’s Sovereignty Against World Health Organization’s Pandemic Treaty

February 18, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) reintroduced legislation Wednesday that seeks to protect the sovereignty of the United States against the World Health Organization’s (WHO) attempt to push through a pandemic treaty onto its member states.

Johnson led other Republican senators as he reintroduced the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act.

Mark Houck’s Family, Children Relive Harrowing FBI Encounter

Mark Houck’s children were startled awake by a loud banging on their door.

The older girls looked out the window, saw flashing lights, and ran out to the landing to see what was going on.

More Plaintiffs Agree to Dismiss Challenge to Georgia’s Election Law

February 18, 2023February 17, 2023 The Center Square

Georgia officials are claiming victory after three plaintiffs challenging the state’s new voting law petitioned the court to voluntarily dismiss their claims.

Critics have argued that the state’s new voting law, Senate Bill 202, the Election Integrity Act, is a burden on local election officials and made it more challenging for Georgians to cast ballots.

Commentary: Biden Has Mastered the Art of Dodging Blame for Inflation

It is frustrating that so many otherwise competent, knowledgeable economists and commentators are failing to land a punch on President Joe Biden regarding inflation.

It’s not that people don’t know the economy is floundering. They do. Almost 66% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, a sentiment driven by inflation and the difficulties it has caused for people trying to keep up with household expenses.

CDC: 60 Percent Increase in High School Girls Contemplating Suicide

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report revealing that the rate of high school-aged girls in the United States considering suicide or going through depression has increased dramatically over the last 10 years.

As reported by Fox News, the study shows that in 2021, 57 percent of all high school girls felt depressed or hopeless in 2021, compared to just 36 percent in 2011; this marks a staggering 58 percent increase over the 10-year period. Similarly, 30 percent of girls in 2021 contemplated suicide, a 60 percent increase from just 19 percent in 2011. And in another 60 percent increase, 24 percent of high school girls went so far as to make plans for their own suicide in 2021, up from 15 percent in 2011.

FBI Whistleblower Resigns from Bureau, Warns Congress About Dangers of Case ‘Quota System’

February 18, 2023 Just the News

An FBI whistleblower has divulged to Congress that the bureau has created a case quota system that can incentivize agents to pursue frivolous cases or delay action on real crimes to attain statistical goals.

Steve Friend, a special agent and former SWAT team member who blew the whistle on alleged civil liberties violations in the Jan. 6 investigation, told Just the News on Thursday that he resigned from the bureau this week and gave the House Judiciary Committee an extensive interview detailing his concerns about the politicization of criminal cases and the growing manipulation of investigations to attain statistical and budget goals.

Commentary: Recognizing Hard Truths About America’s History with Slavery

Slavery is always and everywhere an unconscionable stain, an egregious error, a monstrous outrage, a mortal sin. Every human possesses a natural right to be his own master, so long as he does not deny that same right to others.

Most people take that truism for granted today but it wasn’t the governing rule of the past. Few people who have ever lived on this planet were truly free; most were either outright slaves or were serfs or subjects who lived in constant fear of tyrants. In world history, freedom is the exception, and mostly a recent one.

Number of Troops Dying from Fentanyl More than Doubles

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

The number of American troops dying from fentanyl more than doubled between 2017 and 2021, according to Department of Defense (DOD) data released Wednesday.

The data show that fentanyl was to blame for 54 overdose deaths in 2021, which account for 88% of drug deaths that year, according to DOD’s response to a bipartisan congressional inquiry. The number is a staggering increase from the 22 overdose deaths caused by fentanyl in 2017.

Despite Comprehensive Study Showing Masks Ineffective Against COVID and Flu, CDC Director Tells Congress, ‘Our Masking Guidance Doesn’t Really Change With Time’

February 17, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky testified during a recent House committee hearing that, despite the recent release of an international research review that found masks are ineffective against COVID-19 and the flu, her agency’s masking guidance “doesn’t really change with time.”

During a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) asked Walensky to explain how the CDC uses evidence to update or change its guidance.

U.S. Projected to Tack on $19 Trillion in Debt over Next Decade as Spending Soars

The U.S. is likely to add $19 trillion more to the national debt in the next 10 years, which is $3 trillion higher than previously expected, new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predictions show.

By the end of 2023, the CBO projects the deficit to be $1.4 trillion, and it will continue to average about $2 trillion annually, raising the debt to about $52 trillion. The CBO report indicates that the rise in the deficit is a result of bipartisan legislation coupled with the Federal Reserve’s hike in interest rates.

YouTube CEO Steps Down After Nine Years

Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki will be stepping down after a nine year stint as head of the company, Wojcicki announced in a blog post Thursday.

Wojcicki initially joined Google, Youtube’s parent company, nearly 25 years ago and worked on several projects for the company — including co-creating Google’s Image Search function and advertising technology — before joining Youtube in 2014 as its CEO, according to the blog post. Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan will be taking over as the new CEO of YouTube, while Wojcicki will step into an advisory role at YouTube’s parent companies, Google and Alphabet.

Democrats Celebrate 100 Federal Judicial Nominee Confirmations But Michael Delaney ‘Problematic’ for Biden and Schumer

February 17, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The Democrat-controlled Senate is celebrating the confirmation of 100 of Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, approved by radical left-wing organizations, but Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing saw Biden nominee Michael Delaney struggling against an onslaught of confrontation over his move in 2015 to publicly release the name of a minor female victim of sexual assault while he represented her school.

By nominating representatives of these radical positions, Biden is “paying back the left-wing dark money groups who spent over a billion dollars to help elect him and Senate Democrats,” Carrie Severino, president of JCN, formerly known as Judicial Crisis Network, told Fox News Digital.

Dershowitz Says It Was Unconstitutional for Georgia Grand Jury to Release Report on Trump

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 Just the News

Harvard Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz said it was unconstitutional for a Georgia judge to release parts of a Fulton County special grand jury report looking into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to challenge Georgia’s 2020 election results.

Commentary: Destroying Meritocracy Is Deadly

A recent epidemic of airline near misses deserves both attention and reflection.

In mid-December, a San Francisco-bound United Airlines Boeing 777-200 airliner, just a little over a minute after taking off from Maui, Hawaii, suddenly dived. It lost more than half its altitude and came within 800 feet of crashing into the Pacific Ocean before pulling up.

Idaho State House Passes Ban on Transgender Surgery for Minors

On Tuesday, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill that would implement a statewide ban on so-called “transgender” surgeries for minors, as well as medications that are meant to indulge delusions of gender dysphoria.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the “Vulnerable Child Protective Act” was introduced by State Rep. Bruce Skaug (R-Idaho), and will now head to the Republican-controlled State Senate. The bill expands upon an already-existing state ban on “female genital mutilation,” and makes it a felony to give puberty blockers or other forms of hormone treatment to children; the bill also makes it a felony to perform genital mutilation surgery that “alters the appearance of or affirms the child’s perception of the child’s sex.”

Music Spotlight: Hillary Reese

February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE. Tennessee – Hillary Reese comes from a big sports family in Mississippi full of coaches and teachers. But she and her brother both desired to do music instead. (Her brother, Parker Reese, has a degree in Music Education.)

“We were not coordinated and couldn’t throw a ball to save our lives,” Hillary Reese said.

Commentary: After Affirmative Action

February 17, 2023 RealClearWire

The betting odds are that the Supreme Court will soon rule against affirmative action. It is worth asking how we got here, and what we should do about it.

Why is affirmative action in jeopardy? The main reason, ironically, might be the increasing ethnic diversity of the United States. In 1960, the U.S. was roughly 88% white and 12% black. The census category “Hispanic” did not yet exist. Similarly, the U.S. did not have a separate “Asian” category for the less than one million Americans from various nations in Asia, though the 1960 census had separate boxes for some, but not all, Asian countries. Today the U.S. is 61% white and dropping. Among American children, the white/nonwhite population is rapidly approaching 50-50.

Documents: U.S. and UK Had ‘Confidentiality Agreement’ to Hide Vaccine Adverse Events