Analysis: The State School Choice in the U.S.

As the school year ends and legislative sessions adjourn, Chalkboard updated its review of which legislatures nationwide are implementing school choice measures that provide education options for students and their families and which states have removed them.

Several states across the country have recently adopted legislation that would allow students to attend any school of their choice using taxpayer dollars, something that advocates call universal school choice. Critics of the legislation say such measures will divert money away from public school systems that need the funds.

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Over 300 COVID-Era Medical Papers Retracted Due to Scientific Errors, Ethics Concerns

Over 330 different medical research papers have been retracted in the aftermath of the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, due to either research errors or ethical problems.

As reported by the Daily Caller, the watchdog group Retraction Watch documented the retractions in a recent report, which noted that most of the papers in question were published in smaller publications. A handful, however, were found in more well-known publications such as Lancet and Science. The retracted papers covered such topics as COVID side effects and the efficiency of alternative treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Blake Treinen Condemns Team’s Decision to Honor Anti-Catholic Hate Group

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen released a statement Tuesday in which he expressed his “disappointment” that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group that engages in obscene performances that are “blasphemous,” are being “honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium.”

The “sisters,” an organization that openly ridicules Christian beliefs and desecrates Jesus Christ, Treinen said, “display hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.”

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Suspected Chinese Spies Posing as Tourists Are Trying to Infiltrate U.S. Military Bases: Report

Chinese nationals attempted to gain access to U.S. military bases in Alaska, posing as tourists to carry out suspected spying operations, USA Today reported, citing officials and servicemembers.

In some cases, visitors from China seem to have mistakenly entered some of the numerous U.S. military installations in the northernmost state, officials told USA Today. However, other attempts by Chinese citizens to enter military bases appear to be targeted operations intended to collect sensitive information on American military capabilities, soldiers familiar with the events told the outlet on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

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Illegal Aliens Throwing Parties in NYC Hotels

In New York City, illegal aliens who are currently being housed in former hotels have been throwing wild parties during their stays, according to a former employee of one such facility.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the former Row NYC Hotel employee, Carlos Arellano, said that “every day, we find about 10 kids alone in their hotel rooms, either drinking or doing drugs, weapons will be in the room. It’s basically a free-for-all.”

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Private Americans Patrol the Smuggler-Blighted Border Badlands of Arizona

As blazing sunlight ebbs to a star-studded sky along the U.S.-Mexico border, members of the Arizona Border Recon group peer through field glasses at a trio of men on the southern side in camouflage fatigues and carrying pistols and AK-47s.

The men, almost certainly members of Sinaloa cartel factions, are using their own binoculars to scan random gaps in a roughly 30-foot-high wall of thick metal bars that stretches for miles along a flatland carved by arroyos and dotted with rocks, saguaro cactus and high grasses. At times, a solo gunshot echoes on the Mexican side, a sound the AZBR knows from experience is a signal to people to start moving north.

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Bud Light Shells Out $200,000 to LGBT Business Organization amid Dylan Mulvaney Backlash, Cratering Sales

Bud Light is making a $200,000 donation to the National LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to support “economic opportunities and advancements for LGBTQ+ Americans,” according to a press release from its parent company Anheuser-Busch.

The company suffered significant losses after many Americans began a boycott of Bud Light earlier this month, after the brand created a special beer can for transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In the wake of the fallout, Anheuser-Busch released a statement Monday, saying that it was “extending [its] partnership” with NGLCC by donating $200,000 to the Communities of Color Initiative (CoCi) and the CoCi Biz Pitch program.

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Mike Pence Expected to Launch 2024 Presidential Campaign Next Week

Former Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly planning on launching his 2024 presidential campaign next week, setting him up to face off against his old boss, former President Donald Trump, for the Republican nomination.  Pence is likely to launch his campaign on June 7, his birthday, at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, according to multiple news reports. Later that day, he is scheduled to speak at a CNN town hall at Grand View University.

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Catholic Major League Pitcher Trevor Williams Rebukes Dodgers for Honoring Anti-Catholic Hate Group

Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams said Tuesday in a statement posted to Twitter the move by the Los Angeles Dodgers to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic hate group, “makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion.”

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Massachusetts Public Libraries to Host Virtual Drag Queen Tutorial for Teens

More than 30 Massachusetts public libraries are joining together to host a virtual drag queen event, targeted for teens aged 13-18, in which New England-based drag queen “Giganta Smalls” will teach the young people about the life of a drag performer and help them “pick up some advice on costuming and make-up.”

According to a Westhampton Public Library Facebook post for the June 10th event called “Dishing Out Drag with Giganta Smalls,” over 30 Massachusetts public libraries are “co-hosting this PRIDE event,” that has been “made possible by a discretionary fund of the Trustees of Rowley Public Library.”

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Jack Miller Center Unveils ‘ContextUS,’ a New, Online Civics Library

ContextUS is the Jack Miller Center’s newly published, free online library that provides citizens with the content to gain that necessary civic knowledge. This state-of-the-art resource gives teachers, students, and scholars access to more than 700 core texts of the American political tradition, paired with the most up-to-date technology in library science, to transmit a civic education in self-government to the next generation of Americans.

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Texas, Georgia, Arizona: Three Cases Studies of State Oversight of Troubled Local Elections

Republican-run Texas and Georgia have given state officials oversight of some local elections following issues in Democratic counties, while Arizona didn’t do so there was a Republican administration. 

Last week, the Texas House passed two pieces of election integrity legislation that were previously passed by the state Senate.

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States Legislatures Adapt to Electric Vehicles

As President Joe Biden’s administration wants 50% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030, some states are pushing bills to subsidize the industry. 

In an analysis of state legislatures by The Center Square staff, actions so far this year in multiple states offer recognition to the emergence of the industry – whether trying to make up tax revenue shortfalls or simply boosting the move away from gas and diesel automobiles.

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Masks Offer ‘Small’ Benefit Against COVID, Increased CO2 May Be Tied to Stillbirths: Research

The termination of the COVID-19 national emergency has not ended mask mandates in various jurisdictions and settings such as healthcare, even as more peer-reviewed research suggests that face coverings can cause more harm than good.

The Annals of Internal Medicine published the “final update” to a three-year “living, rapid review” of research on mask effectiveness against COVID infection, which concluded masks in healthcare and community settings “may be associated with a small reduction in risk” — 10-18% — but that the evidence is weak.

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Debt Limit Deal Clears House Panel, Setting Up Floor Debate

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday evening advanced a bipartisan bill to raise the debt limit and avert a national default, paving the way for a floor debate in the lower chamber on Wednesday. The panel advanced the legislation by a 7 to 6 vote, with several Republicans objecting to its advancement. On Wednesday, lawmakers will debate the proposal on the floor. Conservative lawmakers such as Texas Rep. Chip Roy and South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman had sought to block its advancement, but enough Democrats and Republicans on the committee overruled them.

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Trump Vows to End Birthright Citizenship for Children of Illegal Immigrants

Former president and 2024 presidential contender Donald Trump pledged to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants in a video posted to Twitter Tuesday.

Trump vowed that on his first day in office, if he’s elected president, he will sign an executive order that the children of illegal immigrants won’t be eligible for citizenship, according to his social media video. A wave of illegal immigration began at the U.S.-Mexico border soon after Biden assumed the presidency, where federal authorities have recorded more than 5.3 million migrant encounters since January 2021.

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Homeland Security Department Sees ‘Heightened Threat’ of Attacks on Churches, Police and Feds Ahead of 2024 Election

The Homeland Security Department is warning communities nationwide about an increased risk of terror attacks on churches, schools, federal installations and law enforcement heading into the 2024 election, specifically cautioning that “legislative or judicial decisions pertaining to sociopolitical issues” could trigger violence in coming months.

In a bulletin issued just before Memorial Day, the agency cited a spate of violent acts this spring, including on a Christian school in Tennessee, a shopping mall in Texas and a plot on a church in Ohio by white supremacists as harbingers for future concern.

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Kevin McCarthy Threatens to Hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in Contempt over Biden Probe

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress if he does not comply with a request for a document about an alleged bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden.

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FBI Formally Refuses to Produce Biden Probe Memo to Congress, Comer to Hold Wray in Contempt

The FBI formally refused Tuesday to turn over to Congress an investigative memo alleging a bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, prompting the chairman of the House Oversight Committee to begin proceedings to hold Director Christopher Wray in contempt. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the panel’s chairman, said he still plans to meet with Wray on Wednesday but declared the bureau’s notification of refusing to comply with a subpoena to be unfortunate.

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Authors of Soros-Funded Biden Center Report Pushing More Refugee Resettlement into the U.S. Now Work at the White House

Several authors of a Soros-funded Penn Biden Center report advocating for increasing the number of refugees allowed into the country now work in the Biden administration, handling immigration and national security policy.

The Penn Biden Center and the National Conference on Citizenship published a 2020 report, which was funded by a $259,050 grant from Open Society Foundations, recommending increasing the number of refugees permitted to come to the U.S. and easing restrictions on refugee eligibility, actions the White House has since taken. The report was led by Ariana Berengaut, who now serves as senior adviser to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Eric Hysen, who was sworn in as chief information officer (CIO) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in February 2021; Rosanna Kim, who serves as senior adviser for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) since January 2021, also contributed to the report.

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Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Senator Lindsey Graham

by Ailan Evans   Russia issued an arrest warrant for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina Monday, following comments he made about the war in Ukraine. The warrant was issued by Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday, with an additional announcement that a criminal investigation had been opened into Graham, according…

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The Biden Administration’s Record of Caring for Veterans Raises Alarm

Early in the debt ceiling crisis, the Biden administration tried to scare veterans into believing Republicans might cut their benefits, which did not happen. But the administration’s own treatment of the nation’s warriors suffers from glaring failures ranging from lax security to benefits delayed by unwarranted tests.

The failures were laid bare in a series of reports and memos made public by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ internal watchdog, the Office of Inspector General, shortly before Memorial Day and reviewed by Just the News.

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DeSantis Blasts McCarthy Over Budget Deal for ‘Careening Towards Bankruptcy’

by Harold Hutchison   Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida ripped House Speaker Kevin McCarthy early Monday over the debt ceiling deal, calling it “totally inadequate” when it came to addressing spending. “Prior to this deal, Kayleigh, our country was careening toward bankruptcy and after this deal, our country will…

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Catholic Advocacy Group Launches $1 Million Ad Campaign to Boycott Los Angeles Dodgers for Honoring Anti-Catholic Hate Group

A leading national Catholic advocacy group has responded further to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ announcement that the organization will move ahead with honoring an anti-Catholic hate group of self-described “queer and trans nuns” during its “pride night” game event in June.

Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote told Fox & Friends Weekend Sunday the Dodgers “have decided to honor and celebrate a detestable, vile, and perverse anti-Catholic organization.”

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Progressive Activists, Officials Work to Extend Voting to Prisoners, Noncitizens to Expand Base

by Fred Lucas   Inmate voting, noncitizen voting, and even mandatory voting have been among the initiatives pushed in Democrat-led jurisdictions this year to expand their voting base. “The Left wants to normalize voter classes that nobody took seriously a generation ago—criminals, foreigners—to help them win elections,” J. Christian Adams, president of the…

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Colleges Move to Arm Officers in Response to Inner-City Crime After Previous Calls to Defund the Police

Two inner-city colleges are arming their on-campus police officers in an effort to crack down on increased crime three years after activists called for departments across the country to be defunded.

George Washington University (GWU), located in Washington D.C., announced it will allow some officers to carry firearms while on duty after typically relying on other armed police departments, while Portland State University (PSU), located in, reversed a 2021 policy that restricted officer’s ability to arm themselves. The decisions come three years after activists across the country took to the streets in 2020 demanding policing reform, including calls to defund departments, which sources tell the Daily Caller News Foundation will better prepare officers to deal with emergency situations when they occur.

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Nuclear Energy Renaissance Emerges as Counterbalance to Democrats’ ‘Green New Deal’

by Addison Smith   Alternative clean energy plans to the Democrats’ Green New Deal are getting a boost from a new generation of nuclear energy technology, which can produce zero-carbon emission electricity with a much smaller footprint than earlier reactors. The innovations and advances of the nuclear power industry are…

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Scott, Haley’s South Carolina Roots Aren’t Enough to Secure Victory in the State’s Early Primary, GOP Operatives Say

South Carolina has two natives in the 2024 presidential race, with former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, but Republican operatives from the state don’t believe it’s enough to secure them a victory in the early state primary, they told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Although the two Republicans have served their state for years, former President Donald Trump still has a stronghold in South Carolina and would likely win the state’s primary if it were held today, several GOP political experts told the DCNF. For either Scott or Haley to be competitive in South Carolina’s primary, which is critical in determining the eventual Republican nominee, the experts said they would need to show a strong performance in key early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

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McCarthy-Biden Debt Deal Eliminates Unspent COVID Funds, Blocks IRS Expansion and Reforms Permitting

The debt limit deal struck late Saturday between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden rolls back some of Washington’s massive spending while delivering other conservative priorities like blocking new taxes and requiring some welfare recipients to work, according to a summary obtained by Just the News.

McCarthy described the deal as an “agreement in principle,” and it rolls back domestic spending to fiscal year 2022 levels while limiting “top line federal spending to 1% growth for the next 6 years.”

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Former Harvard Chair Who Lied About Chinese Payoff Sentenced to Two Days in Prison

Former Harvard chemistry chair Charles Lieber received two days in prison, six months house arrest, and a fine for hiding Chinese government affiliations and a $50,000 monthly salary.

Harvard also allowed him to retire quietly.

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‘Boycott Target’ Song Climbs iTunes Charts, Garners Millions of Views

The song “Boycott Target” has garnered millions of views online and climbed to No. 3 on iTunes Hip-Hop charts within days of being released. 

“Attention all shoppers: There’s a clean-up on every aisle. Target is targeting your kids,” the song by Forgiato Blow and Jimmy Levy featuring Nick Nittoli and Stoney Dudebro opens up. The music video, which has more than 3.6 million views on Twitter, features the rappers walking through what appears to be Target as they hold up Pride-themed merchandise.

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Outside Law Firm Finds Texas A.G. Paxton Didn’t Break Laws or Violate Office Procedure

A 174-page report released by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in August 2021, made public before voters reelected Attorney General Ken Paxton to a third term in November 2022, disproved claims presented by Democratically-aligned counsel hired by the House General Investigating Committee (GIC).

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Left-Wing Activists See State Courts as Avenues to Advance Their Agendas

State courts are quickly becoming a heated battleground for abortion and LGBT issues, with left-leaning groups announcing legal strategies focused on the state level and launching efforts to educate the public on their role in electing local judges.

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States See Chinese Purchase of Farmland as a Threat to National Security

Several states have already banned or are considering banning foreign ownership of farmland from U.S. adversaries such as China, a trend that has its recent roots in North Dakota.

Chinese food manufacturer Fufeng Group purchased 370 acres of land for a corn milling plant in Grand Forks in November 2021.

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Texas Professor Alleges College Axed His Contract, Banned Him from Campus Over Conservative Beliefs

A professor told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he was fired and banned from a small college in Texas because of complaints from students and colleagues regarding his conservative beliefs.

St. Philip’s College (SPC), located in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the Alamo College District, declined to renew political science professor Will Moravits’ contract on March 27 after a Title IX investigation was launched in February regarding a student complaint that he made disparaging comments about the LGBTQ community during class, according to a documents obtained by the DCNF.

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Louisiana Republican State Senator Joins Democrats to Kill Bill to Protect Minors from Gender Transition Hormone Drugs and Surgeries

Louisiana State Sen. Fred Mills (R-Acadiana), a former Democrat and a pharmacy owner backed by the pharmaceutical industry, joined with Democrats of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to kill a bill, already passed by the state House, that would have protected minors from life-altering gender transition procedures.

HB648, a bill that would “prohibit certain procedures to alter the sex of a minor child,” including providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries such as elective double mastectomies and castrations, was killed in committee, by a vote of 5-4, with Mills, the GOP chair of the committee, breaking the tie to side with the Democrats.

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FBI Raid on Media Consultant’s Home Linked to Probe into Tucker Carlson Leaks: REPORT

An FBI raid of the home of a media consultant in Tampa was linked to a probe into leaked videos involving former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the Tampa Bay Times reported Friday.

FBI agents searched the home of Tim Burke, a media consultant who also worked with media outlets, and Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak May 8 as part of a probe into backstage videos and unaired footage obtained by Vice News and Media Matters, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

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Muslim Families Sue School District for Allegedly Subjecting Their Children to Sexual Content

Muslim parents and activists are going after one of the wealthiest counties in America, which borders D.C. and hosts several federal agencies, for subverting their right to control their children’s instruction on gender and sexuality and depriving Muslim girls of modesty.

Montgomery County Public Schools is willfully violating Maryland law and its own policies by withholding parental notice and opt-outs for “storybooks” that expose 3-year-olds to sex workers, kink and drag, tell fifth-graders that gender transitions don’t have to “make sense” and celebrate elementary-age children in same-sex romances, a new lawsuit claims.

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‘Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria’ Paper to be Retracted for Bogus ‘Informed Consent’ Violation: Author

An academic paper based on a parental survey of suspected rapid-onset gender dysphoria in nearly 1,700 children, which drew criticism from transgender activists and allies, could soon be retracted by its publisher over a pretextual dispute about informed consent, according to its corresponding author.

Springer Nature is currently investigating “concerns” about the paper’s methodology following threats by academics to boycott the Archives of Sexual Behavior until its longtime editor, pioneering gender dysphoria researcher Kenneth Zucker, is replaced for accepting the ROGD paper among others questioning common LGBTQ narratives.

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Analysis: Companies That Ignore First Amendment Rights

A new database shows that some of Americans’ favorite companies—such as Airbnb, Amazon, and Disney—disregard religious freedom and free speech. 

Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization devoted to protecting religious freedom and other First Amendment rights, joined with Inspire Insight, an investment tool that provides data on the religious values of companies, to produce the second annual Business Index ranking companies by Viewpoint Diversity Score. 

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China Hacked Critical Networks to Spy on U.S. Ahead of Potential Conflict, Officials Say

A shadowy Chinese government-backed hacking group attacked critical U.S. networks, including in Guam, where it may have spied on the U.S. to gain an edge ahead of future crises, according to a Microsoft report and U.S. government advisory.

Microsoft said the organization, dubbed “Volt Typhoon,” has been active since 2021 to break into so-called “critical infrastructure” in Guam and other U.S. sites with the intent to secure long-term hidden access to networks and conduct espionage, according to a report published Wednesday. While targets spanned the U.S., Microsoft highlighted infiltration of national security-specific infrastructure in Guam, an important U.S. territory and military outpost in the Pacific that would likely serve as the front-line of U.S. defenses in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.

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