U.S. House Passes Bill To Criminalize All Unlicensed Private Firearm Transfers

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The U.S. House of Representatives passed an expansive gun control bill that would criminalize firearm sales, gifts, or loans between unlicensed private persons.

On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 8, the “Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021,” a bill that expands universal background checks for private firearm transactions, requires all private firearms transactions to go through a licensed dealer, effectively bans persons age 18-20 from purchasing handguns, and contains only limited exemptions for self-defense. The bill passed 227 to 203, with eight Republicans voting with the Democratic majority in favor.

Democrats and gun control advocates praised the bill’s passage, arguing the expanded background checks will help save lives. . .

However, opponents of the bill warn it would infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms and criminalize lending or gifting a firearm to family members or friends without government approval.

“This bill would criminalize every transfer of a firearm unless it first goes through a government screening process — aka, gun owner registration — or unless the transfer fulfills one of the very few exemptions in the legislation,” Gun Owners of America said. “NOTE: Because ‘transfer’ is not defined, even handing a gun to a neighbor could be severely punished.” (Read more from “U.s. House Passes Bill To Criminalize All Unlicensed Private Firearm Transfers” HERE)

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Report: 90,000 Ballots in Largest Nevada County Sent to Wrong Addresses

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More than 90,000 ballots mailed to registered voters in Nevada’s largest county were returned undeliverable, according to an analysis of the election data by a conservative legal group.

Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas metro area, made the extraordinary move to mail ballots to all the nearly 1.3 million active voters in the county instead of just those who requested them. The county justified the move as helping people vote remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 450,000 voters cast their votes through the mail-in ballots. But more than 92,000 ballots were returned by the postal service as undeliverable, according to the Public Interest Legal Foundation’s (PILF) March 10 research brief (pdf).

The number is based on data provided in February by Clark County Voter Registrar Joe Gloria, the brief says. The Clark County Election Office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Mass-mail balloting is a step backward for American elections. There are millions of voter registration records with unreliable ‘active’ address information that will ultimately send ballots to the wrong place in a mail election,” PILF President J. Christian Adams said in the brief. (Read more from “Report: 90,000 Ballots in Largest Nevada County Sent to Wrong Addresses” HERE)

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PETA Defends Pro-Life Activist

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is defending a pro-life activist facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit and criminal prosecution after he blew the lid on Planned Parenthood’s organ-harvesting operations.

PETA, free speech organizations, and other animal advocacy groups are rallying behind David Daleiden, the embattled undercover activist who faces jail time for secretly recording and releasing videos of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of fetal organs. The liberal animal-rights group said such tactics are a vital tool to expose wrongdoing.

“Amici have a strong interest in ensuring that individuals remain able to use undercover methods to investigate and report on matters that might otherwise remain unavailable or inaccessible to the public, continuing an American tradition of important journalism conducted using undercover techniques,” the group wrote in a brief.

The brief argued that Daleiden’s form of undercover journalism is constitutionally protected speech that has exposed wrongdoing throughout history. Daleiden has faced criminal and civil investigations over his surreptitious recording of the employees in 2015.

“The deception-based techniques used by journalists, activists, and whistleblowers are absolutely necessary to access facts hidden from public view and thereby enable accurate stories,” the brief said. “Examples include the use of investigative deception to reveal animal abuse and food-safety issues in factory farms, living conditions in welfare hotels, working conditions in New York sweatshops, working conditions of low-wage retail jobs in the United States, the availability of drugs in prisons, and deplorable conditions at a military hospital.” (Read more from “PETA Defends Pro-Life Activist” HERE)

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Mississippi Governor Signs Bill Limiting Transgender Athletes

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Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill Thursday to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls or women’s sports teams.

Mississippi is the first state this year to enact such a ban, after a federal court blocked an Idaho law last year. Mississippi’s Senate Bill 2536 is set to become law July 1, although a legal challenge is possible.

More than 20 states are proposing restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health care for transgender minors this year. Conservative lawmakers are responding to an executive order by President Biden that bans discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere. Biden signed it Jan. 20, the day he took office. (Read more from “Mississippi Governor Signs Bill Limiting Transgender Athletes” HERE)

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Experts Say Negative Side Effects of Screen Time Are Intensified by Online School

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Experts warned lawmakers that virtual learning and the consequences of government-mandated lockdowns exacerbated the problems that the nation’s youngest generation face when it comes to digital devices and media.

During the “Kids Online During COVID: Child Safety in an Increasingly Digital Age” hearing hosted by the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce on Thursday, various experts testified that virtual schooling contributed to the growing problems associated with excessive screen time and isolation.

“Even pre-pandemic, young people were spending increasing amounts of time on devices and online. And in the past year, it has felt like all of life has moved online: virtual playdates, ballet and soccer class, music lessons, and storytimes; video calls and online games with grandparents; remote school,” Ariel Fox Johnson, Senior Counsel and Global Policy at Common Sense Media told the subcommittee.

“All of this was the reality we faced long before a global pandemic forced all of us to migrate much of our lives online. It is therefore essential that we address not just the issues of the moment but also the broader structural issues with the digital ecosystem that the pandemic has simply laid bare,” Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, Chair of the Council on Communications and Media at the American Academy of Pediatrics and one of the hearing witnesses said.

In addition to increasing mental health issues and suicides, most representatives and witnesses alike agreed that keeping kids at home glued to a screen posed an imminent threat to their mental health, academic growth, and social skills. Director of School Choice at the Reason Foundation, Corey A. DeAngelis, one of the witnesses, noted that forcing students to learn virtually has a significantly disproportionate impact on low-income, working families and results in higher amounts of screen time. (Read more from “Experts Say Negative Side Effects of Screen Time Are Intensified by Online School” HERE)

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Cow Cuddling Has Become a Thing for Lonely Hearts in the Pandemic

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Renee Behinfar lives alone in Scottsdale, Ariz. The pandemic has been painfully isolating for her and has left her longing for warmth and touch. . .

People are signing up to hug cows at sanctuaries across the country, many desperate for affection as the nation approaches a full year of social distancing during the pandemic.

When Sammy the cow, who was rescued from a dairy farm, laid her head in Behinfar’s lap and fell asleep, Behinfar began to cry. The pandemic, she said, has been a time of unprecedented loneliness. . .

The farm has about 100 rescued farm animals, many with disabilities. Cow-cuddling sessions, which cost $75 an hour, are booked until July. . .

The bovines will amble over to guests for hugs and cuddles, she said. They also like to roll over on their sides and rest their heads in people’s laps. Sometimes, a turkey named Azalea or a chicken will come by to join in. Participants often become emotional, she said, and some even vow to become vegetarian after looking deep into the creatures’ large brown eyes. (Read more from “Cow Cuddling Has Become a Thing for Lonely Hearts in the Pandemic” HERE)

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31 Texas Children Recovered in “Operation Missing in the Metroplex”

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The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced today that 31 DFW-area children have been located, recovered, or rescued as a result of “Operation Missing in the Metroplex,” a month-long operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

The federal agencies partnered with four local police departments – the Arlington Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, and the Grand Prairie Police Department – to locate the missing minors.

Analysts with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Missing & Unidentified Persons Unit and the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services provided critical intelligence. Local nonprofit 4theONE provided 24-hour support and relayed numerous tips that culminated in recoveries.

“To observe law enforcement partnerships and community concerns culminate into such a successful recovery outcome is rewarding,” said Acting United States Marshal Quintella Downs-Bradshaw. “Victims should know they are not forgotten, there is hope and a way to return home.”

“While this joint operation lasted approximately 30 days, HSI Dallas will continue working relentlessly to identify and recover missing children who become vulnerable to human traffickers across the North Texas region,” said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin. “Our continued collaboration with our local, state and federal law-enforcement partners and non-governmental organizations is vital to combatting this global epidemic.” (Read more from “31 Texas Children Recovered in “Operation Missing in the Metroplex”” HERE)

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Assembly Democrats Give Green Light for Cuomo ‘Impeachment Investigation’

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Democrats in the state Assembly on Thursday gave a green light for an “impeachment investigation” of Gov. Andrew Cuomo by the Judiciary Committee — the first step toward potentially removing him from office.

Speaker Carl Heastie (D-The Bronx) announced the momentous decision following an afternoon meeting of the entire Democratic Assembly conference.

Heastie said he was “authorizing the Assembly Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment investigation, led by Chair Charles D. Lavine, to examine allegations of misconduct against Governor Cuomo.”

“The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie said. (Read more from “Assembly Democrats Give Green Light for Cuomo ‘Impeachment Investigation’” HERE)

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Evangelist Luis Palau Dies After 3-Year Cancer Battle

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Evangelist Luis Palau, who played an influential role in Christian evangelism for 65 years, died early Thursday following a three-year battle with lung cancer.

A statement released by the Luis Palau Association said he died peacefully at his home in Portland, Oregon, at the age of 86.

He spent the early years of his Christian ministry as an intern with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, serving as a translator for Graham, who later helped Palau begin his own organization.

Palau had a special concern for his home country of Argentina and Latin America. He had two daily radio programs in Spanish, “Cruzada con Luis Palau” and “Luis Palau Responde.”

His message spread far beyond, however, and he held more than 500 evangelistic campaigns, festivals and rallies in more than 80 nations, including New York City, Buenos Aires, London, Madrid, Singapore, Hong Kong and Cairo. (Read more from “Evangelist Luis Palau Dies After 3-Year Cancer Battle” HERE)

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Congress Passes Massive COVID Bailout Bill Which Costs Taxpayers More Money Than They Will Receive

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By The Federalist. Democrats in Congress passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending bill on Wednesday without any votes from Republicans, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars more than they could potentially receive in a stimulus check.

The legislation, which Biden is expected to sign into law on Friday, contains a myriad of provisions ranging from extending unemployment benefits through September, expanding the child tax credit, allocating billions of dollars for small business loans through the paycheck protection program, designating billions more for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, expansions on Obamacare insurance subsidies even for those who may not need the financial help, paying the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) billions to help facilitate vaccine distribution and administration, grants for restaurants, money for schools which may or may not reopen, tax hikes, and much more.

Less than 9 percent of the total spending bill goes directly to combatting COVID-19 or vaccine distribution. . .

One of the most popular measures included in the bill is direct payments of $1,400 to Americans who fall below a yearly income of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples who file jointly. An extra $1,400 will be distributed for each dependent an individual claims on their tax returns. Most of these payments, however, will not outnumber the price of the legislative spending that will eventually have to be paid by taxpayers, which amounts to approximately more than $5,000 each.

While at least $1 trillion sits unspent from the round of stimulus packages shoved through the legislature in previous months, other provisions unrelated to the pandemic were also tucked into the more than 600-page bill. It includes millions of dollars for libraries, public broadcasting, pollution mitigation, and abortion programs not subject to the Hyde Amendment, which is supposed to prevent taxpayer-funded abortions. (Read more from “Congress Passes Massive COVID Bailout Bill Which Costs Taxpayers More Money Than They Will Receive” HERE)

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Congress Passes COVID-19 Relief Bill

By CNN. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer just signed the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill on Capitol Hill to officially send the legislation to the White House.

In remarks, Pelosi thanked President Biden and several other lawmakers in both the House and Senate.

“President Biden’s vision and his determination were so apparent to the American people and the reason why this legislation enjoys this support of 75% of the American people in a strong bipartisan way across the country,” Pelosi said. “We thank him for his leadership and also for his contribution to the substance of the legislation as well as his signature when that comes.”

President Biden plans to sign the bill into law on Friday afternoon at the White House. (Read more from “Congress Passes COVID-19 Relief Bill” HERE)

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