Month: October 2023

Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) released statements defending students’ pro-Hamas speech after campus protests, but in the past have muzzled conservatives for speech and online statements.

Harvard University President Claudine Gay and UPenn President Elizabeth Magill both said their respective universities support “free expression” in statements made after pro-Palestinian rallies at the colleges following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel. In the past, however, conservative speakers and professors at the universities have frequently been shouted down, and some have been canceled for online statements.

Memo Reveals How Teachers Union Worked on Bill to Keep Sexually Explicit Books in Schools

October 28, 2023 Just the News

Democratic lawmakers privately negotiated with the nation’s largest teachers union to craft a bill intended to combat bans of sexually explicit books in schools, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Right To Read Act was reintroduced by Democratic Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed in April 2023, and is intended to rebuff efforts by parents and Republican lawmakers to remove sexually explicit content from school libraries, according to a press release from the lawmakers. The bill also authorized $500 million in funding for school libraries and provides liability protections to school librarians and educators providing sexually explicit books to students.

Emails Show How Feds Coalesced Around Russia, QAnon to Dismiss Hunter Biden Laptop

A New York Post scoop based on emails from Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop, published three weeks before the 2020 election, immediately drew attention from the federal agency that helped set up a private consortium intended to squelch purported election misinformation.

It’s not clear why from heavily redacted emails the Department of Homeland Security turned over to America First Legal among several productions under the Freedom of Information Act.

Former Election Auditor Bob Cheeley Refused Plea Deal in Georgia Trump Case, Lawyer Confirms

October 28, 2023October 27, 2023 Tom Pappert

Atlanta-based attorney Bob Cheeley refused a plea deal offered by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her racketeering case against former President Donald Trump, his lawyer confirmed in a Thursday statement to CNN.

“To say that we are currently in discussions with the DA’s office would be an inaccurate representation of what is going on,” Cheeley’s attorney, Richard Rice, told the outlet. “They made us an offer some time ago and we declined it.”

Commentary: America Doesn’t Know How Many Hamas and Hezbollah Terrorists Have Crossed the Southern Border

October 28, 2023 Just the News

When then-FBI Director Robert Mueller testified in the House Judiciary Committee on May 9, 2012, Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly of California asked him about the threat of terrorists entering the United States by crossing the Southern border.

“First of all, as it relates to the Southwest border,” said Gallegly, “do you see any growing evidence of al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization working to exploit our border with the attempt to launch another terrorist attack on our own soil?”

Georgia Election Case Goes to Trial over Mass Voter Challenge as Cases Mount

The trial over a 2020 Georgia election case has begun, including mass challenges of voter eligibility and allegations of voter intimidation. Similar legal challenges continue in the state.

On Thursday, the trial of Fair Fight v. True the Vote began, with the plaintiff arguing that the defendants’ challenging the eligibility of more than 364,000 voters in the 2020 presidential election amounts to “voter intimidation.”

New York City Offering Illegals Free Plane Tickets to Destinations of Their Choice

October 28, 2023 RealClearWire

As New York City continues to be swarmed by hordes of third world illegal aliens, the administration of Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.) has turned to yet another solution: Offer them free travel to any destination they choose.

According to Politico, Adams turns to this latest move as the shelters continue to overflow with illegals, with concerns surrounding the increased cost of housing them and the brutality of the coming winter months for those who cannot find shelter.

Commentary: SBF Trial Should Spur Dark Money Legislation

Last week, in the trial of former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, details emerged about how the now-disgraced entrepreneur attempted to co-opt U.S. senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties.

With $50 million in donations to secretive dark money vehicles linked to both party’s respective Senate leaders, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Bankman-Fried presumably sought to influence future crypto regulations.

D.C. Bar Refuses to Allow Former Trump DOJ Attorney to Postpone Disbarment Proceedings

October 27, 2023October 28, 2023 Rachel Alexander

Jeffrey Clark, an attorney who served at high levels of the Department of Justice under former President Donald Trump, is being stonewalled in his request to delay a disbarment trial while criminal proceedings in Georgia go forward.

Tucker Carlson Talks to Attorney About Why Ukrainian Government Has Banned Its Orthodox Church

October 27, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

In episode 34 of his newest production, “Tucker on X,” host Tucker Carlson interviewed Canadian attorney Robert Amsterdam about the Ukrainian government’s repression of the ancient Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The TikTok War: Why High School and College Kids Are Getting The Wrong Information About Hamas and Israel

October 27, 2023 Admin

Jeff Morris Jr. on Twitter I spent the weekend trying to reverse engineer the TikTok algorithm, as I am convinced this is the reason we’re losing the information war with high school & college students. One red flag was seeing San Francisco high school students who were aggressively anti-Israel and…

Democratic Minnesota Congressman Challenges Biden in 2024 Presidential Race

October 27, 2023 Admin

A Democratic Congressman has launched a surprise presidential campaign to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic 2024 nomination, saying Biden has done a good job but will likely lose to former President Donald Trump next year.

Georgia Law Means Fani Willis’ Plea Deal Recipient ‘Completely Exonerated’ After Probation

October 27, 2023October 26, 2023 Tom Pappert

A Georgia law means defendants who reached plea deals with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump will likely be “completely exonerated” after the terms of their sentencing are complete.

Georgia’s First Offender Act allows some guilty defendants, who were not previously convicted of a felony, to have the criminal charge against them removed from their criminal record after serving the terms of the sentence issued against them. At least two of the lawyers who entered into a plea agreement with Willis appear likely to receive first-offender status.

Nearly 4 Million Illegal Border Crossers in Fiscal 2023

October 27, 2023 The Center Square

There were over 3.2 million people who entered the U.S. illegally nationwide in fiscal 2023, the most in recorded U.S. history, according to the latest data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Combined with gotaway data only reported by Border Patrol agents at the southwest border, illegal border crossers totaled at least 3,970,318 in fiscal 2023.

Economy Shows Huge Growth in Third Quarter as Fed Struggles to Rein in Inflation

October 27, 2023 Just the News

The U.S. economy grew at a rate of 4.9% in the third quarter of 2023, according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on Thursday morning.

In the second quarter of 2023, real GDP rose 2.1% after being revised down from an initial estimate of 2.4%. Economists expected that GDP would be around 4.7% for the third quarter of 2023, far higher than the 2% to 3% that is common for the U.S.

Prosecutor Says Biden Bribery Claim Was Credible Enough for Further Investigation, but FBI Resisted

In bombshell testimony, the federal prosecutor who initially probed the Biden family’s dealings in Ukraine told Congress his team had corroborated enough of an FBI informant’s claim of an alleged bribery scheme involving Joe Biden to merit further investigation but he encountered unprecedented foot-dragging and “reluctance” inside both the FBI and the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office that took over the case, Just the News has learned.

Former Pittsburgh U.S. Attorney Scott Brady revealed to the House Judiciary Committee that his team found enough credible evidence in its initial review of Hunter Biden’s dealings with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings and possible corruption by Joe Biden to refer criminal matters to three separate U.S. Attorney’s offices in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Delaware for further investigation.

ACLU Declares Trump Gag Order to Be Unconstitutional

On Wednesday, the far-left American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) made a surprising statement condemning a federal judge’s attempted gag order on former President Donald Trump.

As Politico reports, the ACLU’s statement came as a shock to many who support the group, as it had been one of Trump’s primary enemies during his presidency, frequently suing his administration to block many of his policies. But in a new friend-of-the-court brief, the ACLU agreed with Trump’s assertion that a gag order by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is a violation of his First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, as well as a violation of the public’s right to hear him speak.

Commentary: The Speaker We Need

October 27, 2023October 26, 2023 Tom Pappert

It might have been embarrassing, and it might have given the enemies in the political class ample opportunities to snicker and hurl insults. But at the end of the day, the result reached when Mike Johnson won a 220–209 vote over wannabe Def Poetry Jam participant Hakeem Jeffries was the best one America could have asked for.

We have, after three weeks of infighting and paralysis, a Speaker of the House — and what we have, by all indications, is something of which we can be very proud.

Fulton County Judge Schedules First Hearing for Georgia Trump Trial

A Fulton County Judge set the first hearing date for the Georgia election trial of former President Donald Trump on Thursday. The former president’s counsel, Steve Sadow, will make his first appearance representing Trump at a Fulton County court on December 1.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will hear arguments from Trump’s attorney and District Attorney Fani Willis on eight motions, each written submitted by another defendant and adopted by Trump.

Ticket Site Eventbrite Blocks Riley Gaines Event but Gives Thumbs Up to Pro-Hamas Event

October 27, 2023 M.D. Kittle

Ticket sales giant Eventbrite won’t allow Riley Gaines to promote her upcoming speech, but it was all in on a pro-Hamas event hosted by an LGBTQ community center.

That is until public pressure caught up with the big tech platform.

Voter Drop Boxes Face Challenge in Arizona, as States Weigh Legalizing, Banning or Protecting Them

October 27, 2023 Just the News

As Arizona faces a lawsuit over its ballot drop boxes, states across the country have taken different approaches to using unmanned receptacles for elections.

The Arizona Secretary of State has been sued for allegedly overstepping state law by permitting unstaffed ballot drop boxes, while Wisconsin is facing a lawsuit to allow ballot drop boxes.

Commentary: Teaching Children to Self-Entertain

Teaching children to self-entertain is key to traditional parenting. While I totally understand the desire to occasionally use technology and screens as “babysitters,” shouldn’t parents aim to instill more sustainable and healthier alternatives? In comes teaching children to self-entertain!

Essentially, self-entertainment means kids keeping themselves appropriately occupied while a parent’s attention is elsewhere. As much as this benefits children when they are small, it also plants the seed for healthy, independent adulthood. Children who know how to self-entertain won’t need to depend on television, video games, social media, or other technology to keep busy in their free time. They will already know how to pursue worthier and healthier activities.

Commentary: Premodern Diversity vs. Civilizational Unity

Few Romans in the late decades of their 5th-century AD empire celebrated their newfound “diversity” of marauding Goths, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Huns, and Vandals.

These tribes en masse had crossed the unsecured Rhine and Danube borders to harvest Roman bounty without a care about what had created it.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Resolution to Censure Rashida Tlaib for ‘Antisemitic Activity’

October 27, 2023 RealClearWire

Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a resolution Thursday to censure “Squad” member Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan for “antisemitic activity” following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.

Tlaib has repeated Hamas’ claim that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza, and it took the congresswoman five days to condemn the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Greene cited an Oct. 18 anti-Israel protest at the U.S. Capitol that followed Tlaib’s speech in which she sobbed over Hamas’ hospital bombing claim, as well as previous actions and statements, for her reasoning to censure the congresswoman, according to its text.

Commentary: Just the Facts on ‘Geofencing’

As worshippers gathered at the Calvary Chapel in 2020, they were being watched from above.

Satellites were locking in on cell phones owned by members of the nondenominational Protestant church in San Jose, Calif. Their location eventually worked its way to a private company, which then sold the information to the government of Santa Clara County. This data, along with observations from enforcement officers on the ground, was used to levy heavy fines against the church for violating COVID-19 restrictions regarding public gatherings.

Music Spotlight: Alexandra Kay

October 27, 2023 Bethany Bowman

Alexandra Kay hails from the small town of Waterloo, Illinois, right outside of St. Louis. Like most people I’ve interviewed, Kay grew up singing in church. At a young age, she discovered she had a gift for creative writing/poetry. Her work was entered into contests for young writers. She got some national recognition from her short stories, and her parents were like, “Okay, She ‘s a pretty creative kid.”

Like many her age, Kay was greatly influenced by Taylor Swift. She wrote down her feelings in a journal, and many of these poems eventually turned into songs.

Biden’s White House Will Not Revoke Visas of Pro-Hamas Foreign Students

Breitbart News President Joe Biden’s White House has no plans to revoke the visas of those foreign students engaging in demonstrations across United States college campuses in defense of the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas and its attacks on Israel. After a number of Republicans urged Biden’s State Department to revoke the visas…

Coca Cola, Operator of $20 Million Bottling Plant in Gaza, Silent on Israel Attacks Despite History of Support for Social Justice

The Coca-Cola Company, headquartered in Atlanta, has been no stranger in recent years to taking up the mantle of social justice causes, as the company has issued a multitude of statements and has donated millions to social causes.

Students for Justice in Palestine Takes Credit for Projecting Pro-Hamas Message on George Washington University Library

The Washington Free Beacon A student group at George Washington University took credit for projecting pro-Hamas messages onto a campus building Tuesday night. An anonymous representative from the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the school confirmed to the GW Hatchet, the school’s student newspaper, that the group had planned the event…

Florida Orders State Universities to Disband Pro-Palestinian Student Group, Saying It Backs Hamas

October 26, 2023October 26, 2023 Tom Pappert

ABC News Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration is taking the extraordinary step of ordering state universities to ban a pro-Palestinian student organization from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas militants who attacked Israel earlier this month. As Israel’s attacks on Gaza have intensified, some college students have expressed solidarity with…

Atlanta Firefighters Union Warns City Has Worst Department Fleet in America with 17 Vehicles Down

The Atlanta Professional Firefighters addressed city leaders in a strongly worded letter on Tuesday, warning the city’s fleet of emergency response vehicles is in dire condition. Its letter came after Atlanta Fire and Rescue informed the city of its decision to formally close three fire stations due to vehicle and staffing issues.

In a letter obtained by Atlanta First News, firefighters claimed that many of Atlanta’s fire stations lack an actual fire engine with water capable of extinguishing a fire. They stated that this implies the actual number of non-operational fire stations is higher than the three identified by the city on Monday.

Border Authorities Are Counting Palestinian Migrants as Other Nationalities

Federal border authorities apprehending Palestinian migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally are counting them as other nationalities, according to the former chief of Border Patrol and a current agency official who is familiar with the process.

In addition to the current and former agency officials that confirmed Palestinians aren’t classified as such when they’re apprehended and processed at the border, the DCNF obtained screenshots of Border Patrol’s internal system showing that Palestine is not a category and that searching for it results in “no matches.” Federal intelligence officials have warned that Palestinian terrorists could be crossing the southern border and to be on the lookout for them, according to an internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) memo first obtained by the DCNF.

Deep-Pocketed Liberal Nonprofit Is Propping Up Pro-Hamas Activists

A major left-of-center nonprofit is providing support to several groups that have justified Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians or accused Israel of genocide.

The Tides Center provides fiscal sponsorship to several groups expressing support for Palestinian terrorists and accusing Israel of human rights abuses. Several groups supported by Tides praised Hamas, saying they “breached the apartheid wall that has imprisoned them for over 16 years, separating them from their land, their loved ones, their holy sites” and have organized protests over the genocide they claim the Israeli government is carrying out.

Texas Attorney General Sues Biden Administration for Cutting Razor Wire at Southern Border

On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-Texas) filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration over federal agents cutting away razor wire barriers that had been set up along the southern border by the state government.

As Fox News reports, Paxton’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, targets the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), accusing the federal agencies of interfering with state efforts to secure the border by actively cutting away the razor wire barriers that had been set up by the state of Texas.

Commentary: Climate Wokesters Find a New Way to Destroy Middle America

October 26, 2023October 25, 2023 Tom Pappert

With the filing of California’s latest lawsuit against American energy producers, the ill-advised and foreign funded national climate litigation campaign is ramping back up again. But a curious trend is evident: the “big green” agenda isn’t just spreading its tentacles in coastal, heavily Democratic states like California or New Jersey as we’ve come to expect, but it’s creeping into states more traditionally considered to be oil and gas country.

VoterGA’s Garland Favorito Warns ‘Blatant Lies’ in Federal Trump Case Will ‘Influence, Manipulate’ 2024 Election Results

Garland Favorito of the Georgia election integrity group VoterGA warned in a press conference on Tuesday that special prosecutor Jack Smith’s case against former President Donald Trump is an attempt to smear Republicans with “blatant lies” before voters head to the polls in 2024.

Favorito highlighted Smith’s claims that Trump “spread lies that there had been outcome determinative fraud in the election,” ordered a false set of Electoral College certifications that purported to be from legitimate electors, and urged former Vice President Mike Pence to fraudulently alter the Electoral College votes on January 6 as easily disprovable lies designed to taint Republicans in to potential voters, then offered counterarguments to Smith’s accusations.

In Disbarment Trial of Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman, He Reveals How He Believes Votes Were Switched in Georgia’s 2020 Election

October 26, 2023 Rachel Alexander

The disbarment trial of Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, finished a partial ninth week on Tuesday, as the renowned former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas explained how he thought fraud occurred in the 2020 election. The State Bar of California is attempting to disbar him over advice he gave Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence regarding accepting electoral slates from states suspected of election fraud.

DOJ Inspector General Finds ‘No Evidence’ of Wrongdoing by Trump in FBI HQ Decision

October 26, 2023 Just the News

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) inspector general concluded in a Tuesday report that Former President Donald Trump did not inappropriately exert pressure on where to construct the FBI headquarters to protect his hotel from competition.

The investigation started in June 2019 following certain lawmakers and the media voicing worries regarding Trump’s possible influence on the FBI’s sudden choice to abandon its plan to construct a $3 billion suburban campus in Maryland or Virginia for its 10,000 workers in 2017, according to the report. The closeness to his former hotel in Washington, D.C. led some lawmakers to question whether he aimed to obstruct the land’s use for a potential rival hotel project, but the report found no evidence of that.

Colleges Accused of Blindsiding Students with COVID Vax Mandates for Clinical Rotations

Like the cassette music format among hipsters, COVID-19 vaccine mandates live on in select educational settings.

Students may not be told until they’re already well into a program, however.

Nicaragua Is Weaponizing Illegal Migrants to Gain Leverage Against the Biden Admin, Experts Say

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 Just the News

The government of Nicaragua is using large U.S.-bound migrant waves coming through his country to force sanctions relief out of President Joe Biden, according to the Associated Press, citing experts familiar with the situation.

More than 260 charter planes believed to have carried migrants from Haiti have landed in Nicaragua in recent months, which Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is using to get sanctions relief from Biden, experts told the AP. In recent years, the U.S. government has increased sanctions on Ortega’s government and family as thousands flee his repressive regime.

Active Shooter Situation in Maine, Hospital Says ‘Mass Casualty, Mass Shooter’ Event

October 25, 2023 Admin

Fox News At least 22 people are dead following a deadly shooting in a Maine city that spanned three locations on Wednesday night, Fox News has confirmed. Fox News has confirmed that the active shooter incident occurred at three locations— Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant, a Walmart store and Sparetime Recreation. Maine…

FBI Had 40 Sources Providing Intel About Possible Criminal Activity Involving Bidens, Grassley Says

The FBI received information about possible criminal activity involving the Biden family from more than 40 informants over an extended period of time, but most avenues of investigation were thwarted, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed in a bombshell letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, released Wednesday.

Report: Ford, United Auto Workers Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

The United Auto Workers union and Ford Motor Company have reached a tentative deal to end the ongoing strike, pending approval from union leaders. The ongoing strike has thus far lasted nearly six weeks. Exact terms of the agreement remain unclear, though the final deal could be announced as early as Wednesday evening, CNBC reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.

Israel Agrees to Delay Invasion So Pentagon Can Rush Air Defense to the Middle East

Israel agreed to delay an invasion of Gaza until the Department of Defense completes plans to boost air defenses around U.S. troops in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The Pentagon is sending nearly a dozen air defense systems to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to protect American service members from credible threats of attacks by Iran-backed militias. U.S. officials had asked Israel to create time to emplace the air defenses before launching operations that promise to trigger more bombardments on U.S. military positions, the WSJ reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

Federal Prosecutors Spied on Congress in Search for Leaks, Now DOJ Is Being Investigated for It

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023 Just the News

Several current and former congressional oversight staff have been recently informed that the U.S. Justice Department seized their phone and email records back in 2017 as part of leak investigations, belated revelations that have touched off an inquiry by DOJ’s internal watchdog and raised serious concerns about the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

Over the last week, several current and former Senate and House staff from both political parties have alerted Congress that they received belated notifications from Apple, Google or other Big Tech firms that their email or phone records were obtained from their personal devices via a grand jury subpoena.

Johnson Officially Wins House Speakership on House Floor

The GOP-led House voted Wednesday to elect Rep. Mike Johnson speaker after 3 weeks without a chamber leader, according to the final vote tally.

Louisiana U.S. Rep. Johnson Nominated for Speaker, Full House Vote Expected as Early as Wednesday

October 25, 2023 Georgia Star News Staff

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the House speaker nomination on Tuesday night, becoming the fourth candidate to do so after the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy three weeks ago.

Biden Admin Readies Plans to Evacuate Thousands of Americans from Israel and Lebanon

The Biden administration is readying plans for mass evacuations of American citizens from Middle East hotspots amid fears of significant escalation of violence in the region, The Washington Post reported.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens could require rescue from Israel and Lebanon if the war between Israel and Gaza spills over into neighboring states, raising the prospect of the largest noncombat evacuation in recent memory, the Post reported, citing four U.S. officials familiar with the government’s contingency planning. Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iran-backed militant groups throughout the Middle East have stepped up violence since the war’s onset and threatened to escalate further once Israel commences its planned ground operation in Gaza.

DHS Admitted Hundreds of Thousands of ‘Inadmissible’ Aliens Through CBP One App: House Panel