Day: March 22, 2024

Safeguarding Food and National Security, Georgia Advances Bill to Ban Foreign Adversaries from Purchasing Land

Debra McClure
Georgia Farmland Bill

A bill placing sharp limits on the foreign ownership of Georgia farmland passed the State House by a vote of 97-67 Thursday. SB 420 would restrict certain nonresidents and business entities from purchasing farmland or land near military bases in Georgia. The bill now goes back to the Stae Senate for further consideration.

The bill specifies that certain individuals and business entities from a country “designated as a foreign adversary by the United States” would not be permitted to acquire “agricultural land or land within a ten-mile radius of any military base, military installation, or military airport.”

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Dems Propose Millions for Organizations Pushing Trans Procedures for Kids in Congressional Budget

Georgia Star News Staff
Surgery

Democrats are looking to push through a budget that would grant millions in funding for organizations that provide sex-change procedures for children.

Congress released a proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025 in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown and Democrats are looking to send millions in taxpayer funding to organizations that help transition children. Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon requested $2,000,000 for the La Clinica del Valle Family Health Care Center in Oregon which provides hormone treatments to adolescents, according to its website.

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Bob Menendez Says He Won’t Run for Reelection as Democrat in 2024

Georgia Star News Staff
Bob Menendez

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey announced he would not run in the Democratic Senate primary Thursday, saying he was “hopeful” that he could eventually run as an independent candidate.

The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against Menendez and his wife, Nadine, on three counts according to a September release by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, then added additional charges in a March 5 superseding indictment. Menendez said he would not be running in June’s New Jersey Senate primary, but left the door open to running as an “independent Democrat.”

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Biden Administration ‘Paroled’ More Illegal Aliens than Issued Visas to Legal Immigrants

Peter D'Abrosca

According to report from the Federation on American Immigration Reform (FAIR), President Joe Biden’s administration paroled more illegal aliens into the United States during the first nine months of Fiscal Year 2023 than it accepted legal immigrants through visa programs.

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Georgia’s Private Schools Promote Activist Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resources

Debra McClure
Pace Academy

Some private Georgia schools continue to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion resources, featuring materials on white privilege, social justice, and racism that are made available to students, faculty, and parents.

Despite the recent backlash in Georgia public schools for using Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) content in classrooms, some private schools continue promoting books, articles, websites, workshops, and guest speakers in what many now call Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) programs.

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House Committee Examines Threats to U.S. Food Security from Chinese Ownership of Land, Facilities

Just the News
Combine in field

The House Agriculture Committee took a close look Wednesday at the influence of China on America’s food supply.

The committee also heard testimony concerning Chinese companies activities in the U.S., allegedly stealing intellectual property and purchasing supply chain assets that American farmers depend on to produce crops.

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Mayorkas, DHS Get Massive Funding Boost in House’s Newest Spending Bill

Georgia Star News Staff
Alejandro Mayorkas speaking with border officers

The House of Representatives’ second consolidated spending bill for fiscal year 2024 includes significant increases in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and to the office of its secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas.

The 2024 fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2023 — by which the appropriations process was supposed to be completed — but political disagreements in Congress led to the enactment of four continuing resolutions to avoid a government shutdown and preserve funding at the previous year’s levels. After Congress completely passed its first permanent spending bill for the year on March 8, the House on Thursday released its second permanent bill, a consolidation of six constituent bills, which includes an increase of $19 million to the Office of the Secretary over fiscal year 2023 levels, for a total of $404 million until Sept. 30, 2024. 

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Immigration Judges Have Thrown Out 200,000 Deportation Cases Because Biden Admin Didn’t File Paperwork

Georgia Star News Staff

Immigration judges have dismissed roughly 200,000 deportation cases because the Biden administration didn’t file the relevant paperwork, according to a report from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) released on Wednesday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is obligated to provide a Notice to Appear (NTA) to immigration courts when the agency believes an illegal migrant should be removed, according to the TRAC report. Biden’s DHS failed to issue NTAs in several instances by the time of a scheduled hearing in immigration court, limiting judges’ ability to hear the case and forcing a dismissal.

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Progressives, Conservatives Not Happy with EPA’s New Rule on Vehicle Emissions

The Center Square
President Biden driving and electric vehicle

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it is finalizing more protective emissions standards that it called the “strongest ever” for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles that it claims will reduce air pollution and be phased in from 2027 through 2032.

In a news release, the EPA claimed the standards would result in a reduction of 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and have a net benefit of $100 billion in terms of public health benefits as well as reduced fuel costs and maintenance and repair costs for drivers.

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Father of Laken Riley Demands Gov. Kemp Declare Illegal Immigrant ‘Invasion’ in Georgia Senate Speech

Tom Pappert
Laken Riley's Dad

The father of Laken Riley addressed the Georgia State Senate on Wednesday with a call for lawmakers and Governor Brian Kemp to “declare an invasion” following his daughter’s murder.

Invited to address the legislators by Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton), Jason Riley called on lawmakers and the governor to recognize the severity of the illegal immigration crisis in Georgia and “protect citizens from this illegal invasion.”

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Commentary: Biden’s DOJ Thumbs Nose at SCOTUS on Key J6 Felony Charge

Julie Kelly
Matthew Graves

Donald Trump filed his brief Tuesday at the U.S. Supreme Court to defend his argument that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution. Noting the lack of historical precedent and dire ramifications for the future, Trump’s attorneys warned that “a denial of criminal immunity would incapacitate every future President with de facto blackmail and extortion while in office, and condemn him to years of post-office trauma at the hands of political opponents.”

Oral arguments on the groundbreaking question are set for April 25; a final opinion, which could be announced in late May or sometime in June before the current SCOTUS term ends, represents a do-or-die situation for Special Counsel Jack Smith’s four-count indictment against the former president for the events of January 6 and his alleged attempts to “overturn” the 2020 election. The case is now on hold awaiting a decision by SCOTUS.

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Poll: 60 Percent of Independents Disapprove of Biden’s Job as President

The Center Square

A majority of Americans disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing, according to a new poll.

The Center Square Voter’s Voice poll released Wednesday asked voters, “When it comes to President Joe Biden, do you approve or disapprove of how he’s handling his job?”

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Watchdog Accuses Biden Judicial Nominee of Trying to Cover Up Financial Conflicts, Demands he Withdraw

Georgia Star News Staff
Adeel Mangi, Philadelphia federal courthouse

A Biden judicial nominee under fire for ties to an anti-Israel group is now facing a call by the conservative watchdog American Accountability Foundation (AAF) to withdraw for failing to disclose the sources of his income.

AAF sent Adeel Mangi a letter Thursday demanding he ask President Joe Biden to withdraw his nomination for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, calling Mangi’s failure to include income sources on his Financial Disclosure Report “disqualifying.” Though the White House has doubled down on its support for Mangi, at least one Senate Democrat, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, said Tuesday she would not support him.

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Poll: Third Party Candidates Boost Trump’s Lead over Biden

The Center Square
Donald Trump, RFK, Cornel West

Former President Donald Trump is narrowly beating President Joe Biden in a head-to-head faceoff going into November, a new national poll shows.

The Center Square’s Voter’s Voice poll conducted with Noble Predictive Insights was released Wednesday, showing Trump beating Biden 46 percent-45 percent with likely voters. The rest are unsure.

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Music Spotlight: Kelsey Hickman

Bethany Bowman
Kelsey Hickman

As a product of the 80s music scene, I discovered country music later in life. When country rocker Kelsey Hickman came across my desk, I knew she was right up my alley.

Hickman is from Central Illinois. No one in her family is particularly musical, but she can remember singing all her life. She started as a tot singing Disney songs, then joined school choirs and got her first exposure singing in musicals.

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CBO Reports Grim Long-Term Outlook for Federal Government

The Center Square
Couple paying bills

The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday released a bleak outlook for the federal government with new projections that show debt levels will reach their highest levels ever in five years.

“Debt held by the public, boosted by the large deficits, reaches its highest level ever in 2029 (measured as a percentage of GDP) and then continues to grow, reaching 166 percent of GDP in 2054 and remaining on track to increase thereafter,” according to the CBO report. “That mounting debt would slow economic growth, push up interest payments to foreign holders of U.S. debt, and pose significant risks to the fiscal and economic outlook; it could also cause lawmakers to feel more constrained in their policy choices.”

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New York AG Letitia James Takes First Step Toward Seizing Trump’s Assets

Georgia Star News Staff
Letitia James Donald Trump

Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James recently took the first step towards seizing former President Donald Trump’s assets, public records show.

James filed judgements against Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization on March 6 with the clerk’s office in Westchester County, where Trump owns a golf resort and private estate called Seven Springs, according to Bloomberg News. Judge Arthur Engoron issued a judgement in February finding that Trump must pay $454 million in James’ lawsuit, which alleged he perpetuated financial fraud by overestimating the value of his assets to obtain loans.

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Alan Dershowitz Commentary: Fani Willis Must Still Be Disqualified

Georgia Star News Staff
Fani Willis

Just as predicted, Judge Scott McAfee tried to cut the baby in half, but the baby died, because his split-the-difference opinion makes absolutely no sense legally or factually.

It is obvious that Judge McAfee started his decision-making process by deciding the result he wanted: disqualifying special prosecutor Nathan Wade, but retaining Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her entire office. In order to reach that bizarre result, he had to rely on the testimony of Willis, which he knew was totally untruthful.

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