July, 2023 | The Georgia Star News

Devon Archer Tells Congress Burisma Pressured Hunter Biden to Deal with Ukrainian Prosecutor: Source

July 31, 2023 Just the News

Devon Archer delivered bombshell testimony to Congress on Monday, telling lawmakers that Burisma Holdings pressured Hunter Biden in December 2015 to deal with a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating the firm for corruption shortly before the then-vice president took steps to force the prosecutor’s firing, a source directly familiar with the transcribed interview told Just the News.

Poll: Most Young Americans No Longer Patriotic

July 31, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

A new Gallup poll shows a record low level of patriotism among the two youngest generations of Americans.

According to Axios, the new survey shows that patriotism is at its lowest among Americans between the ages of 18 and 34, while still remaining higher among older Americans. Overall, just 39 percent of American adults describe themselves as “extremely proud” to be Americans.

Attempt to Reinstate Pilots Fired over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Fails in Congress

July 31, 2023 The Center Square

Eighty-three House Republicans voted against a measure that would have required commercial airlines receiving federal money to reinstate pilots who were fired for not complying with a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate since ruled illegal.

Among them were eight Republicans who opposed the measure from Texas, a state that has consistently fought federal mandates. A federal judge in Texas was the first to rule the Biden administration’s federal vaccine mandate was illegal, blocking it in January 2022. The case went to the Supreme Court, which also ruled against the mandate.

Commentary: The Educational Establishment’s Radical New Ploys

July 31, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Increased spending, common good bargaining, community schools and transitional kindergarten will not improve student learning.

A Gallup poll released earlier this month shows that just 28% of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in K-12 public schools. The number for Republicans is particularly damning: Just 14% of GOPers view education in a positive light.

DeSantis Calls for US-Led Military Alliance in Pacific, ‘Economic Independence’ from China

July 31, 2023 Just the News

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate, is calling for the United States to create a stronger military alliance in the Pacific to counter China’s rising aggression, as well as wage a strategic decoupling of the American economy from Beijing.

SPN Poll: Majority of Parents Say Teachers Regularly Stray from Course Curriculum

July 31, 2023 The Center Square

The vast majority of parents in a new State Policy Network poll say public school teachers regularly deviated from set school curriculum to interject their own personal views and feelings over the past year.

In all, two out of every three parents polled in the survey of 2,014 respondents said teachings strayed from what was supposed to be taught, and 25% said they actually had a problem with a public-school teacher on the issue over the last 12 months.

Senate Democrats Shoot Down GOP Amendment to Fly Only the American Flag over Government Buildings

July 31, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

On Thursday, Senate Democrats voted against a Republican-introduced measure that would have forbidden the federal government from flying any flag other than the American flag over government buildings.

As Fox News reports, the measure in question was introduced by Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would have instituted the ban for all public buildings, from federal office buildings and courthouses to post offices.

Mystery Company Makes $800 Million Purchase of California Farmland Near Air Base

July 30, 2023July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

After a mysterious company suddenly made a nearly billion-dollar purchase of farmland surrounding an air base in California, some in Congress are sounding the alarm over national security concerns.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, over 52,000 acres worth of land in Solano County was purchased for $800 million; the land surrounds Travis Air Force Base. The purchase was made by a company called Flannery Associates, with a company attorney claiming that it is registered in Delaware and controlled by U.S. citizens, receiving at least 97 percent of its capital from American investors, with the remaining 3 percent from Irish and British investors. Nevertheless, the company’s low profile and sudden mass purchase of such strategically significant land has raised alarms in Congress.

525 Known, Suspected Terrorists Apprehended Attempting to Illegally Enter U.S. in Nine Months

July 30, 2023 The Center Square

Nine months into fiscal 2023, more known or suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the northern and southwest borders than in all of fiscal 2022.

So far this fiscal year, 525 known or suspected terrorists have been apprehended attempting to illegally enter the U.S. compared to 478 last fiscal year.

Montana Conservatives Balk at Republican Leadership’s Senate Pick for 2024

July 30, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

As prominent national Republicans line up behind a political newcomer and decorated veteran as their pick to win back a coveted Senate seat in 2024, grassroots Montana conservatives are frustrated with what they perceive as unwelcome outside influence attempting to sway the primary race.

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines of Montana and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recruited Tim Sheehy, who quickly secured endorsements from Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and several other senators since his late June campaign launch. However, Montana Republicans and grassroots activists who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation view Sheehy as the D.C. establishment’s candidate and would rather see GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale run for the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

Pro-Life Diaper Maker Provides Parents with Healthier Alternative

July 30, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Rather than donating to organizations that support abortion like some mainstream diaper makers, the new EveryLife diaper brand supports its customer base by donating to pro-life organizations.

EveryLife debuted on July 13 as an alternative diaper option to mainstream liberal diaper brands.

Commentary: The Philosopher Who Is the Intellectual Root of CRT and Radical Gender Ideology

July 30, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

French philosopher and social critic Paul-Michel Foucault has long stood as an intellectual juggernaut in humanities programs all around the world. For better or worse, the contemporary understanding of critical theory—and critical race theory—as well as gender theory owes debts to Foucault’s ideas about power, knowledge, and language.

Even beyond the classroom, Foucault’s ideas have been used to dismantle and destabilize the traditional and orthodox conceptions of various issues, including sexuality, education, and society as a whole.

Georgia Students’ Test Scores Remain Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

July 30, 2023July 29, 2023 The Center Square

While Georgia public school students’ Georgia Milestones scores are improving, state officials said results have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.

According to officials, results improved or remained steady in 13 of 21 assessments.

Florida Judge Declines to Toss Lawsuit Challenging Disney’s Last-Minute Effort to Maintain Self-Governing Status

July 30, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

A Florida state judge declined to toss a lawsuit challenging Disney’s last-minute effort to skirt the state legislature and maintain its self-governing status through an agreement it made with the prior board overseeing Walt Disney World.

Disney entered into agreement with the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), which had authority over the park, on Feb. 8, 2023 — just days before the state legislature approved a bill reforming RCID’s structure to strip Disney’s self-governing status. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District sued May 1 over the agreement, which would allow Disney to maintain control, calling it a “backroom deal” that is “not even worth the paper” it is printed on.

Commentary: The Way to Teach Children to Value Tradition

July 30, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Traditionalism will come to nothing if it is not shared with future generations. You might have children yourself and are in the throes of parenting. Or you might be looking toward a family one day and wondering how best to prepare. How does one go about teaching tradition to children? Where should new and future parents focus in order to give their young ones the same mindset they hold dear?

Commentary: Listening for Alien Civilizations Is ‘Eavesdropping,’ ‘Surveillance,’ These Indigenous Scholars Say

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

As a young teen I couldn’t get enough of Carl Sagan’s book “Cosmos,” and the movie based on his novel of the same name, Contact, remains one of my favorite scifi offerings.

Sagan, and by extension Contact protagonist Ellie Arroway, became the sort of individual I came trust to handle what will be the greatest discovery in human history: proof that humans are not alone in the universe.

‘We’re Paying People to Hate America’: Musk And Ramaswamy Blast Department of Education

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Twitter owner Elon Musk ripped the current education system in the United States Friday, saying that taxpayers were “paying people to hate America.”

Ramaswamy and Musk took part in a Twitter Spaces forum where Ramaswamy blasted the Department of Education for using funding as an incentive for schools to use certain theories in curricula. Ramaswamy outlined plans to shut down that department during a July 20 forum in New Hampshire.

Iowa Lincoln Dinner Turns Up the Heat on Republican Presidential Race, as Trump, DeSantis, Ramaswamy Dominate

July 29, 2023 M.D. Kittle

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa nice converged with Hawkeye heat Friday evening, as the Republican Party of Iowa hosted the largest cattle call to date of the GOP presidential combatants on one of the hottest days of the year.

Defiance: Trump Tells John Fredericks He Will Run for President Even if Sentenced in Criminal Case

July 29, 2023 Admin

The Telegraph UK Former US president Donald Trump said Friday he would not end his run for the White House if he were convicted and sentenced in any of the criminal investigations mounting against him. The 77-year-old Republican frontrunner was asked about his reaction to the federal and state charges…

New Forecast Says the 2024 Election Will Come Down to These Four States

July 29, 2023July 28, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

A new political forecast released Thursday argues that the 2024 general election could come down to four states — Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The four “toss-ups” and their 56 Electoral College votes make for a “very narrow playing field” in 2024, which The Cook Political Report views as being another matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to author Amy Walter. Whether a third-party ticket is present, as well as the sway of suburban, moderate and Latino voters, will be key in determining the outcome of these battleground states.

House Republicans Object to Senate GOP Push for Garland Special Counsel to Lead Biden Family Probe

July 29, 2023 Just the News

Top House Republicans investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings are raising concerns about Senate Republicans’ call for Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel, including potential partiality and impeding their own probes.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who is investigating President Biden’s possible role in his son Hunter’s business deals, maintains that Garland wouldn’t appoint an impartial special counsel.

Top Revelations from Court Transcript of Hunter Biden’s Failed Plea Deal Hearing

July 29, 2023 Just the News

Court documents more clearly show what transpired in Hunter Biden’s federal hearing Wednesday in Delaware on a plea deal for federal tax and gun-registration charges. But more questions are arising regarding what the Justice Department included in the deal that U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika put on hold.

Mark Levin: ‘Not a Single Democrat Congressman Attended’ Capitol Hill Showing of ‘Sound of Freedom’

July 29, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Conservative author and host Mark Levin took to Twitter to observe that “not a single Democrat congressman” attended a special showing this week of the true-to-life film Sound of Freedom, arranged by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and to which the speaker invited members of both parties.

Levin explained in his post that, for the first time, he skipped his own radio show Tuesday night to attend a movie.

Detransitioner Chloe Cole Tells Congress ‘My Childhood Was Ruined’ by ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

July 29, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Detransitioner Chloe Cole appeared before a House subcommittee Thursday, testifying that transgender hormone drugs and surgeries “ruined” her childhood and left her with “lifelong irreversible harm.”

Cole, 19, who now serves as a senior fellow and patient advocate for Do No Harm, an organization that seeks to “protect patients, physicians, and healthcare itself from the practice of medicine based on discriminatory, divisive ideologies,” testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance at the hearing titled “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’”

DeSantis Vows to Rein in Fed, Ban Central Bank Digital Currency: ‘Cash Is King’

July 29, 2023 Just the News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis laid out the broad strokes of his economic policy in an interview with Just the News, vowing to reinvigorate America’s manufacturing base, rein in the Federal Reserve and ban a central bank digital currency if elected president.

“Cash is king,” he declared.

Commentary: Biden’s Corruption Implicates the Entire Political Establishment

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

The basic contours of the Biden family’s corruption scandal have been known for years, but the details have been suppressed. What the public knows, it knows despite the efforts of the media, the Democrats, and the “intelligence community” to bend, twist, and bury the truth. For instance, it is no secret that Biden pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was investigating his son’s business partners. In fact, Biden bragged about it. But in the conventional narrative, Biden was doing this not out of personal interest, but as part of an institutional effort to root out corruption. This is the kind of obtuse, self-serving nonsense that passes for “journalism” today.

Expert Thinks Georgia Lawmakers Will Pass School Choice Legislation

July 29, 2023July 28, 2023 The Center Square

Georgia lawmakers are likely to pass school choice legislation when they reconvene, one expert predicts.

School choice has taken on new resonance after Rep. Mesha Mainor of Atlanta, an ardent school choice supporter, announced she was switching to the Republican Party.

Commentary: The Left Hates Sound of Freedom Because They Hate Children

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

An appropriate reaction for anyone who has seen the film Sound of Freedom is one of sheer horror, shock and anger toward a child trafficking industry that subjugates over a million children globally to sexual abuse – and unimaginable trauma for both the victims and their families.

Another appropriate reaction to this powerful film would be an appreciation for director Alejandro Monteverde and actor Jim Caviezel’s masterful ability to bring to national attention this brutal epidemic that must be eradicated.

Biden White House Ordered Facebook to Censor Vaccine Memes and Tucker Carlson Posts

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

On Thursday, newly-released files show that the Biden Administration actively pressured the social media giant Facebook to censor meme posts that made fun of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as posts by then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

As reported by the New York Post, the files released by the House Judiciary Committee show that Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to Joe Biden, sent an email in April of 2021 to Facebook’s president for global affairs Nick Clegg. Clegg then sent an email to colleagues saying that Slavitt “was outraged — not too strong a word to describe his reaction — that [Facebook] did not remove this post.”

Republicans Condemn New Charges in Trump Classified Docs Case

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Conservatives and Republicans condemned a new round of charges against former President Donald Trump in the case involving classified material at Mar-a-Lago.

Special Counsel Jack Smith revealed the new charges in a superseding indictment issued Thursday that included charges against Carlos De Oliveira, a maintenance worker at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida estate owned by former President Trump. Smith initially secured a 37-count indictment against Trump in June.

Commentary: This Year’s National Defense Bill Equips the U.S. to Deter the New Axis of Evil

July 29, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

With the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) having passed the Senate, our nation is taking a necessary step to secure our freedom at home and abroad. For 63 consecutive years, Congress has passed the NDAA to keep America strong and her enemies on their back foot. In this year’s bill, I was able to secure many victories for the Volunteer State that will boost our military and research installations and give our servicemembers the tools they need to keep our homeland safe.

Inflation Rose Slightly in June, Data Shows

July 29, 2023 The Center Square

Newly released federal inflation data shows that inflation ticked up in June.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Friday released its Personal Consumption Expenditure, a favorite inflation marker for the Federal Reserve, which showed a 0.2% increase.

Democrat Presidential Candidate RFK Jr: Denied Secret Service Protection by Biden Administration

July 28, 2023 Just the News

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday the Biden administration has denied him as a 2024 presidential candidate Secret Service protection.

Democrat Congressman Steve Cohen Proposes ‘Barriers’ to Protect Women from Men in Locker Rooms

July 28, 2023 Admin

The Post Millennial During a House Judiciary Committee hearing On Thursday, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan shut down Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen’s idea that “barriers” in the women’s locker room are a solution to males changing in front of women. “Transgender people have been around for a long time,” Cohen said, “and they have…

‘Gender Clinics’ Shutting Down Due to Red State Bans

July 28, 2023July 27, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

A new report shows that laws enacted by red states to ban so-called “gender transition” surgeries and other procedures have severely impacted clinics and other facilities that previously provided such treatment.

As reported by the Daily Caller, the study in the American Medical Association’s JAMA shows that, out of 271 gender clinics across the country, at least 70 are now “inactive” due to bans implemented by 20 different states. The survey also confirms that at least 30 percent of all minors between the age of 13 and 17 who believe themselves to be “transgender,” a total of roughly 89,100, are currently living in states with such restrictions.

Chase Shuts Down Dissident Florida Doctor’s Business Account and His Employees’ Accounts Without Warning or Explanation

July 28, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

The owner of a Florida-based retail health company says JP Morgan Chase Bank suddenly closed his business accounts, the bank accounts of two employees and the personal accounts of their family members without explanation.

The owner of Mercola Market, Dr. Joseph Mercola, tweeted on Tuesday that “Chase bank has shut down our business bank accounts along with the accounts of my CEO and CFO, as well as their family members (including spouse and child). They’ve refused to provide any reason for doing so, the oldest account has been active for 18 years.”

Elise Stefanik Throws Support Behind Impeachment Inquiry into Joe Biden

July 28, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York threw her support behind an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden for his alleged involvement in his son Hunter’s business dealings.

Several House Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have floated impeachment against the president after new allegations from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers. Stefanik was asked Thursday by Fox Business if she’s supportive of such an inquiry, to which she responded, “absolutely.”

Georgia Gov. Kemp Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Chevron Case

July 28, 2023July 27, 2023 The Center Square

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has filed an amicus brief in a highly visible U.S. Supreme Court case that could overturn a standing practice that gives federal agencies the power to interpret statutes.

Kemp, a Republican, filed his brief in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which seeks to overturn the so-called Chevron deference established by the 1984 decision in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. It compels federal judges to defer to federal agencies’ interpretations in “ambiguous situations” as long as the interpretation is “reasonable.”

GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to Join Elon Musk and Investor David Sacks on X.com

July 28, 2023 M.D. Kittle

Heading into Iowa for a big weekend after rising in the polls, Ohio businessman and GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy will join Elon Musk and investor David Sacks live Friday afternoon on x.com.

The conversation on the social network platform formerly known as Twitter is set for 4:30 p.m. Central Time, hours before Ramaswamy joins much of the rest of the packed field of Republican presidential candidates at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Lincoln Dinner fundraiser in Des Moines.

Commentary: The Wild 2024 Race

July 28, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Current polls, pundits, and politicos insist that the 2024 race is a sure rematch between former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden.

It may well turn out that way.

Music Spotlight: Radney Foster

July 28, 2023 Bethany Bowman

Not being raised in the world of country music, I missed out on knowing about a lot of key players who are part of the foundation of what Nashville has become. Radney Foster is one such person.

While writing my column for the past six years, Foster’s kept coming up, but I was unfamiliar with his work. Then I saw an interview where Darius Rucker credits Foster for the reason he is in country music.

Trump Says His Team Met Prosecutors, Who Gave No Indication of Indictment in 2020 Election Probe

July 28, 2023 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump said his legal team had a “productive meeting” Thursday with the Justice Department for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe, but prosecutors did not give any indication that he would receive a notice of indictment in the probe involving efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.

“My attorneys had a productive meeting with the DOJ this morning, explaining in detail that I did nothing wrong, was advised by many lawyers, and that an Indictment of me would only further destroy our Country. No indication of notice was given during the meeting — Do not trust the Fake News on anything!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Commentary: White House Backtracks on Hunter’s Business Deals

July 28, 2023 RealClearWire

The language is undeniably different, and yet White House officials said four different times Wednesday that “nothing has changed” concerning President Biden’s longstanding denial that he was ever involved in the foreign business dealings of his son Hunter.

House Republicans, meanwhile, contend that the deviation in wording now employed at the White House reflects a strategy to distance the president from Hunter Biden ahead of potentially damaging new testimony.

Catholic Education Soaring in Popularity

July 28, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The annual conference this month of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education offered an atmosphere of overall joy and confidence as Catholic schools committed to the teachings of the faith reported they “could not keep up with the demand” for their services, Mark Bauerlein, contributing editor at First Things, wrote this week.

Bauerlein appeared to revel in the stark contrast between the upbeat environment at the Catholic education conference which, he noted, featured tables run by “organizations dedicated to Western civilization, the liberal arts tradition, and Catholic study” that “offered materials blessedly free of the negative politics and rhetoric that fills the discourse of the National Education Association, the ed schools that train teachers, and all too many school boards.”

Federal Reserve Hikes Rates to Highest Level in 22 Years

July 27, 2023 The Center Square

The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced another increase to the federal funds rate Wednesday, raising the target range to 5.25 to 5.5%, the highest rate in 22 years.

The Fed Board also left the door open to another hike.

U.S. Economy Grows Moderately as GDP Ticks Up

July 27, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

The U.S. economy grew at a rate of 2.4% in the second quarter of 2023, according to gross domestic product (GDP) statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on Thursday morning.

Real GDP increased by 2.0% in the first quarter of 2022 after being revised up from an initial estimate of 1.1%, according to the BEA. Economists expected the GDP would be around 2% in the second quarter of 2023, following high inflation and an interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.

Garland DOJ Using BSCA Federal Funds to ‘Strong-Arm’ States Into Enacting Red Flag Laws

July 27, 2023 Admin

Fox News Republicans and gun rights activists say the Biden administration unlawfully handed out federal funds to states that did not qualify under a program intended to promote so-called “red flag” laws. In 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in response to mass shootings in Buffalo, New York,…

Justice Department Launches Investigation into Memphis Police

July 27, 2023July 27, 2023 Admin

TN Journal The U.S. Department of Justice announced it is launching an investigation into the Memphis Police Department’s use of force in traffic stops. The probe follows the death of motorist Tyre Nichols that led to the firing of seven police officers. READ THE FULL STORY …

Tucker Carlson Sits Down with Ice Cube in Episode 11 of ‘Tucker on Twitter’

July 27, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

In the 11th episode of his newest production, “Tucker on Twitter,” former Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson sat down with actor O’Shea Jackson, commonly known as Ice Cube, at his studio.

Nashville Christian School Shooter Had Handwritten Notes on Clothes, Autopsy Shows

July 27, 2023 Just the News

Nashville Christian shooter Audrey Hale had handwritten words, numbers and drawings covering the clothing she wore as she killed six people at her former school in March, an autopsy report states.