SEC Pauses ‘Extremist Climate Mandate’ After Challenge From Republican Attorneys General

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The Securities and Exchange Commission paused implementation of a climate rule requiring certain companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions after a coalition of Republican-led states challenged the rule.

On Thursday, the SEC alerted the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that it would hold off finalizing the climate rule while it faced a lawsuit from 25 states led by Iowa. The states argue that the SEC has overstepped its authority by attempting to put in place the climate rule without congressional approval.

“Today’s victory shuts down the most outrageous climate mandate for businesses since Biden took office,” said Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. “The SEC’s job is to protect people from fraud. It has no business slapping companies with extremist climate mandates. We are making it clear that Biden has to follow the law like everyone else.”

“By halting this mandate, we are protecting business from costly red tape, securing our supply chain, and defending family farms,” she added. “Next, we are going to make this win permanent!” (Read more from “SEC Pauses ‘Extremist Climate Mandate’ After Challenge From Republican Attorneys General” HERE)

Rare 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles New York City Area

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A rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, rattled the greater New York City area on Friday morning.

The earthquake occurred at 10:23 a.m. EDT, according to the United States Geological Survey, and shook other Northeastern cities, including as far south as Philadelphia and as far north as Boston.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) addressed the earthquake and said that the state is “assessing impacts” of the tremor.

“A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York,” Hochul said in a post on X. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.”

Hochul said later at a press briefing that there were no reports of major damage to buildings, but agencies are in the early phases of evaluating the damage.

(Read more from “Rare 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles New York City Area” HERE)

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RFK Jr. Undercuts Democrats on January 6: ‘Little Evidence of a True Insurrection’

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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement on the January 6 prosecutions Friday, saying that while violent rioters deserved to be punished, many prosecutions of non-violent protesters were excessive.

Kennedy’s statement undercuts the Democratic Party’s effort to portray the 2024 election as a “defense of democracy” and a referendum on the so-called “insurrection,” which Democrats blame on former President Donald Trump.

Kennedy’s statement reads as follows:

January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side.

It is quite clear that many of the January 6 protestors broke the law in what may have started as a protest but turned into a riot. Because it happened with the encouragement of President Trump, and in the context of his delusion that the election was stolen from him, many people see it not as a riot but as an insurrection.

I have not examined the evidence in detail, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, tell me there is little evidence of a true insurrection. They observe that the protestors carried no weapons, had no plans or ability to seize the reins of government, and that Trump himself had urged them to protest “peacefully.”

(Read more from “RFK Jr. Undercuts Democrats on January 6: ‘Little Evidence of a True Insurrection’” HERE)

99 Cents Only Stores Closing All Locations, Cites Inflation

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All 371 locations of the 99 Cents Only stores are shutting down, with company executives blaming the “difficult” decision on such causes as “inflationary pressures.”

The company, which opened its first location in 1982, boasts of having the “lowest price guaranteed” on its website. That claim is soon to be no more, with the operators announcing Thursday that liquidation sales will begin Friday.

An official press release said an “orderly wind-down of its business operations” is starting after entering a plea agreement with Hilco Global “to, among other things, liquidate all merchandise owned by the Company and dispose of certain fixtures, furnishings, and equipment at the Company’s stores.”

The hundreds of stores will begin selling all of their remaining items and equipment before the real estate itself is sold by Hilco Real Estate.

The company’s locations span across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas. (Read more from “99 Cents Only Stores Closing All Locations, Cites Inflation” HERE)

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4 Students Took Turns Forcibly Penetrating 3rd-Grade Girl in Restroom, Blocked Her Escape, Got 1-Day Suspensions: Lawsuit

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A lawsuit claims four students took turns forcibly penetrating a third-grade girl in a restroom stall, blocked her escape, and received one-day suspensions, OregonLive reported.

The lawsuit claims employees of both Portland Public Schools and a Multnomah County-sponsored after-school program operated by nonprofit Latino Network failed to protect the girl — who was 9 at the time — from being sexually assaulted, the outlet noted.

The girl’s family filed the lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court last month; it seeks up to $9 million in damages on grounds including negligence, lack of oversight, and failure to protect a vulnerable person from abuse, OregonLive said.

The lawsuit alleges that when the student was in third grade at Scott Elementary in northeast Portland in 2022, one of her classmates touched her genitals over her clothing without her permission during a class a district educator was overseeing, the outlet said.

In a separate incident that same school year, the suit states that another student tried to kiss the girl without her permission, and she hit him to protect herself, OregonLive reported. (Read more from “4 Students Took Turns Forcibly Penetrating 3rd-Grade Girl in Restroom, Blocked Her Escape, Got 1-Day Suspensions: Lawsuit” HERE)

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Newspaper Owner Sues Small Kansas City, Police Department for Raiding His Home and Office: ‘Illegal as Hell’

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The owner of a small newspaper in Marion, Kansas, a city of fewer than 2,000 residents, is suing his city and local police department, among other defendants, after officers conducted a raid on his home and newspaper office last summer.

On Monday, Eric Meyer, owner of the Marion County Record, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Kansas, claiming that various public figures, in their official and personal capacities, violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights when they searched his home and office in August 2023. During those raids, investigators apparently seized computers, servers, hard drives, and even personal cell phones belonging to reporters, as Blaze News previously reported.

The raids on Meyer’s home and office related to Kari Newell, a prominent Marion businesswoman who was seeking a liquor license for her restaurant. However, Meyer had received a tip that Newell had been illegally driving on a suspended license after a previous DUI conviction, information that likely would have put Newell’s liquor license request in jeopardy.

Though Meyer’s paper, the Marion County Record, never ran a story about Newell’s past, Meyer did contact then-Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody and Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez to say that he would investigate whether local law enforcement had knowingly permitted Newell to drive on a suspended license.

Newell, who had also recently asked Meyer and another Record reporter to leave her coffee shop during an event for a Republican congressman, later accused Meyer of obtaining her private information in an “illegal” manner. (Read more from “Newspaper Owner Sues Small Kansas City, Police Department for Raiding His Home and Office: ‘Illegal as Hell’” HERE)

Antony Blinken Confirms Ukraine Will Join NATO

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated NATO’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the defensive alliance.

During a gathering of NATO member states in Brussels to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary, Blinken emphasized the enduring determination to bolster the country during the Russia-Ukraine War. He declared, “Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” underscoring NATO’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities and fostering closer ties with the alliance.

Blinken’s statement echoes sentiments expressed by U.S. President Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in previous years, affirming NATO’s stance on Ukraine’s eventual membership. However, Blinken’s remarks also underscore the complexities involved, including the need for Ukraine to meet the criteria for membership, such as not being occupied by a foreign power.

Despite these challenges, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed Blinken’s comments, revealing ongoing efforts within NATO to advance Ukraine’s membership aspirations. Kuleba expressed gratitude for the encouraging messages and highlighted NATO’s commitment to determining the next steps towards Ukraine’s membership.

While formal NATO membership for Ukraine may still be on the horizon, individual member states are forging closer ties through “NATO-lite” arrangements. These agreements, exemplified by recent treaties with Finland and other nations, offer further funding, support, and military aid to Ukraine, in an attempt to bolstering its defense capabilities.

Iran Asks U.S. to ‘Step Aside’ as Plans for Retaliation Mount, Iranian Official Says

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Iran asked the United States to not interfere in its plans for retaliation against Israel, an Iranian official alleged Friday.

Mohammad Jamshidi, Iran’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, claimed in a tweet that this exchange occurred.

“In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warned America not to fall into Netanyahu’s trap: step aside so you don’t get hit. In response, America asked Iran not to hit American targets,” Jamshidi tweeted.

The U.S. warned, as opposed to “asked,” Iran not to use this as a pretext to attack U.S. facilities and personnel, a State Dept. spokesperson told the Daily Caller. The spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. did receive a message from Iran but did not specify the message’s contents.

(Read more from “Iran Asks U.S. to ‘Step Aside’ as Plans for Retaliation Mount, Iranian Official Says” HERE)

You Will Never Guess What This Senate Hopeful Blamed for East Coast Earthquake

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A candidate running for Senate in New Jersey attributed Friday’s east coast earthquake to climate change.

Christina Khalil, who is running for a Senate seat in New Jersey as a member of the Green Party, blamed the “climate crisis” for the unusual magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck her state and several others bordering it on Friday. Khalil is hoping to take the seat currently occupied by longtime Democratic New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, who now faces numerous charges related to alleged bribery schemes involving Qatar and Egypt. . .

While Khalil suggests that climate change is responsible for the tremor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rejects that there is any connection between climate conditions and seismic activity.

“With the advent of seismology — the study of earthquakes — we now know that most quakes are caused by tectonic processes — forces within the solid Earth that drive changes in the structure of Earth’s crust, primarily the rupture of underground rock masses along faults,” according to Alan Buis of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We also know that most earthquakes occur far beneath Earth’s surface, well beyond the influence of surface temperatures and conditions. Finally, we know the statistical distribution of earthquakes is approximately equal across all types of weather conditions. Myth busted.” (Read more from “You Will Never Guess What This Senate Hopeful Blamed for East Coast Earthquake” HERE)

Trump Takes Massive Lead Over Biden, Sending Democrats Into a Downward Spiral of Worry (VIDEO)

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By Townhall. It may be a little too soon to start popping the champagne bottles, but with less than seven months until the 2024 presidential election, things are looking good for former President Donald Trump.

A recent Rasmussen poll found that Trump holds an eight-point lead over President Joe Biden— whose campaign is like looking down a black hole of nothing.

Currently, Trump has secured 49 percent of support, while Biden sits at just 41 percent.

Recent polls are forcing Democrats to face reality, admitting that they are prepared to lose in the November election.

Democrat fundraiser John Morgan admitted that he is nervous voters won’t come through for Biden as Trump continues to gain steam in the race. (Read more from “Trump Takes Massive Lead Over Biden, Sending Democrats Into a Downward Spiral of Worry” HERE)

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CNN Guest Fact-Checks Wolf Blitzer in Real Time for Pushing Biden Narrative About Trump’s Words: ‘I Listened to the Tape’

By The Blaze. Republican Scott Jennings called out CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday for taking Donald Trump’s remarks about immigrants out of context.

On Tuesday, the Biden campaign posted a seven-second clip of remarks Trump made during a stop in Michigan, ripping the comments out of their context to misrepresent what Trump was saying. The campaign made it appear as if Trump had described all immigrants as “animals.” . . .

“Isn’t that brutal? Shouldn’t people be condemning that?” Blitzer asked.

Jennings not only answered the question, but he informed Blitzer that he was misrepresenting Trump’s remarks.

“I listened to the entire tape. He was specifically talking about the person who murdered Laken Riley in Georgia,” Jennings pointed out. (Read more from “CNN Guest Fact-Checks Wolf Blitzer in Real Time for Pushing Biden Narrative About Trump’s Words: ‘I Listened to the Tape'” HERE)

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