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Republicans Take on Ballot Harvesting, Drop Boxes but Legally Using them in 2024 Election Cycle

Mar 27, 20245 min read
As Alabama has banned ballot harvesting and Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are fighting ballot drop boxes, GOP campaign efforts are using those same tools where legal. Democrats have long focused on mail-in and early voting while Republicans have warned of potential insecurities of those methods. Now the GOP is starting to embrace it this election cycle. However, the acceptance of mail-in voting as a tool isn't preventing Republicans from looking to secure or ban certain aspects of it, such as ballot harvesting and ballot drop boxes.

Report: Record 10 Million Immigration Cases Completed in Fiscal 2023

Mar 27, 20245 min read
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) completed an unprecedented 10 million immigration cases in fiscal 2023, reducing its backlog for the first time in over a decade, according to a newly released end of fiscal year 2023 report. "We’ve completed a record number of cases, responded to emerging crises around the globe with essential humanitarian relief, and applied innovative solutions to improve customer experience and reduce backlogs," USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou said of the milestone.

More than 100 Sheriffs Express Support for Operation Lone Star

Mar 27, 20244 min read
More than 100 sheriffs in Texas expressed support for Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security effort, Operation Lone Star. They also are calling for the border crisis to be declared a "United States constitutional crisis and crimes against humanity." In a letter to the governor, the sheriffs "respectfully request that our Texas border be immediately secured by any lawful means."

Commentary: Americans Don’t Know About Laken Riley’s Murder

Mar 27, 20245 min read
How do we stop tragedies like the murder of Laken Riley if Americans do not even know the details of her horrific yet completely preventable homicide? Thankfully, highly politically engaged citizens know well the details of Laken’s vicious murder on the University of Georgia campus one month ago. In broad daylight, the 22-year-old nursing student was out jogging when she was brutally slain in an unprovoked attack. Jose Antonio Ibarra has been charged with her murder.

Commentary: ‘Vice President J.D. Vance’ Could Be Just the Ticket We Need

Mar 27, 20244 min read
Donald Trump has locked up the necessary delegates for the Republican presidential nomination, which means it's time for every political junkie’s favorite quadrennial game: Veepstakes! Every four years, commentators, political consultants, and elected officials all chime in with their takes on who a presidential candidate’s running mate should be. Perhaps the candidate ought to select a veep from a swing state. Perhaps the candidate ought to select someone who fits a certain demographic box. Maybe the candidate ought to pick someone with a very similar political philosophy—or perhaps someone whose ideological bona fides assuage any lingering concerns that party loyalists might harbor about the man at the top of the ticket. Or maybe it’s really as easy as picking someone who the presidential nominee simply likes and vibes with on a personal level.

Commentary: The Many Ways a Porous Border Means Crime Without Boundaries

Mar 27, 202415 min read
When President Biden’s supporters attacked him for describing the man who allegedly murdered Georgia co-ed Laken Reilly as an “illegal,” they shined a light on one of the most contested words in American politics. The progressive push to describe border crossers as undocumented or unauthorized can also serve to downplay and obscure the massive issue of crime perpetrated and spawned by the influx of millions of migrants since Biden was elected – often in ways that leave the migrants themselves as victims.

House Members of Progressive ‘Squad’ Grab More than $220 Million of Earmarks Since 2023

Mar 27, 20245 min read
Members of the "Squad" of progressive lawmakers in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrangled more than $220 million worth of earmarks included in spending bills since the start of fiscal year 2023, according to a watchdog group. "These eight members, up from 6 last year, have put almost $220 million worth of earmarks into the last two years of congressional spending packages, for causes like environmental justice, diversity, and immigration assistance," read a new report from OpenTheBooks.com.

Feds Crack Down on Pernicious Chinese Hacking Group that Targeted U.S. Gov’t, Dissidents

Mar 27, 20244 min read
The U.S. on Monday announced actions aimed at exposing a sweeping Chinese hacking campaign that has targeted U.S. government institutions, critical infrastructure, media and political dissidents for more than a decade. Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company, Limited (Wuhan XRZ), served as a front company for China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), which deals with overseas policing and espionage, allowing Chinese hackers to hide a multitude of malicious cyber operations, the Treasury Department said after sanctioning the organization on Monday in a statement alongside other U.S. agencies and the United Kingdom. In an indictment unsealed separately, the Department of Justice accused Chinese nationals Zhao Guangzong, Ni Gaobin and five others for their role “in furtherance of [China’s] economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives” over the past 14 years.

Washington State Violated Court Order by Forcing Foster Parents to ‘Affirm’ Gender ID: Lawsuit

Mar 27, 20248 min read
The Pacific Northwest has a message for foster and adoptive parents: Agree to affirm a child's self-determined "sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression," including using their preferred pronouns and taking them to Pride parades, or leave the program. Washington state adopted new Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression (SOGIE) regulations after accepting a permanent injunction against the "nearly identical" Policy 6900 to settle a First Amendment lawsuit by would-be foster parents in July 2021, non-renewed foster parents claim in a new lawsuit.

Government Releases Another Batch of Data That Wipes Out Previous Economic Gains

Mar 27, 20242 min read
New orders for manufactured durable goods, which serve as an indicator for longer-term investments from businesses and consumers, had a huge downward revision for January, following similar revisions seen in jobs data. Orders for durable goods increased 1.4 percent in February to $277.9 billion, but January's gains were revised down to -6.9 percent from an initial estimate of -6.1 percent, taking a huge chunk out of previously reported gains, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The revisions for durable goods orders mirror revisions in employment figures, which have repeatedly reported high growth figures that are later revised down, most recently being revised down for January by 124,000 while job growth for February was reported as 275,000.

Music Spotlight: Bryce Leatherwood

Mar 27, 20245 min read
When I heard the buttery twang that encapsulates Bryce Leatherwood, I knew exactly why he won Season 22 of NBC’s "The Voice." Even before he sang a word, you knew he had it. Leatherwood is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter who aims to carry the torch of the country music he grew up with. He was born and raised in Woodstock, Georgia, and spent every summer working on his grandpa’s farm and listening to his grandpa’s music.

‘Cruel’: Franklin and Marshall Faculty Denounce ‘Transphobic’ Lia Thomas Teammate Speech

Mar 27, 20243 min read
A speech by former William "Lia" Thomas teammate Paula Scanlan promotes "dehumanizing and cruel," views according to a letter signed by Franklin & Marshall College affiliates. The letter, signed by more than 125 professors, administrators, and staff, criticizes the speech planned for Wednesday and hosted by the campus Young Americans for Freedom and the national Young America’s Foundation.

Movie Review: Someone Like You

Mar 27, 20247 min read
With her newest movie, Someone Like You, fans of Karen Kingsbury’s movies and books are in for the treat of their lives. While her books have been put to film on many occasions, this is the first time that her new production company, Karen Kingsbury Productions, has released a movie completely on its own. Kingsbury said, “While I was very thankful (for the other movies) it was never the movie that God put in my heart.”

RJF Jr. Picks Nicole Shanahan to be His Running Mate

Mar 26, 20243 min read
Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan will be his 2024 running mate for president.

Container Ship Slams Baltimore’s Key Bridge, Officials Say Vessel Lost Power Just Before Impact

Mar 26, 20243 min read
A container ship slammed into a Baltimore bridge early Tuesday, causing it to collapse and send vehicles and road crew members into a river in what authorities declared "a dire emergency."