Senator Proposes Bill That Would Enact Nationwide Pornography Ban

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Utah’s senior senator, having survived a reelection challenge from an independent candidate backed by state Democrats, is launching a two-pronged assault on companies that host pornography on their websites.

Mike Lee unveiled the twin pieces of legislation this past week, stating an intent to protect children online. One bill, dubbed “Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN)”, is clearly aimed at doing so, and would require such websites to ask users to provide their age before viewing content.

But a second piece of legislation introduced by the senator on the same day takes a much broader cudgel against pornographic content, and would remove a key protection that sexually explicit content currently enjoys in the United States.

As of right now, the right of Americans and others to share such content across state lines in the US (including online) is protected by the so-called “Miller Test”, a three-step test outlined by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in a 1973 ruling which determines when protected sexual content crosses the line into the unprotected realm of “obscenity”. Mr Lee’s legislation would eliminate one of those steps, specifically the one defining “obscenity” as content that “depicts or describes” sex “in a patently offensive way”.

Removing that language would mean that all sexual content, offensive or not, would fall into the unprotected definition of obscene content, which is prohibited from being transmitted across state lines, as well as between individuals in certain states. (Read more from “Senator Proposes Bill That Would Enact Nationwide Pornography Ban” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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New ‘Twitter Files’ Shows How Federal, State Governments Monitor Americans’ Social Media Posts

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By Daily Wire. A new drop in “The Twitter Files” series Friday afternoon shows that federal law enforcement officials were working in close contact with employees at Twitter to censor content.

Journalist Matt Taibbi said that between January 2020 and November 2022, then-Twitter Senior Director of Trust & Safety Yoel Roth had exchanged more than 150 emails with the FBI.

“A surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts,” Taibbi said. “The FBI’s social media-focused task force, known as FTIF, created in the wake of the 2016 election, swelled to 80 agents and corresponded with Twitter to identify alleged foreign influence and election tampering of all kinds.”

“Federal intelligence and law enforcement reach into Twitter included the Department of Homeland Security, which partnered with security contractors and think tanks to pressure Twitter to moderate content,” he continued.

(Read more from “New ‘Twitter Files’ Shows How Federal, State Governments Monitor Americans’ Social Media Posts” HERE)

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New Twitter Files Just Dropped

By Townhall. Independent journalist Matt Taibbi — who released the first installment of the “Twitter Files” and kicked off a firestorm of revelations that led to Twitter Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker being “exited” from the company — dropped another round of documents and information on Friday evening.

This time, the deep-dive into Twitter’s internal machinations focused on its role as a “subsidiary” of the FBI. The Twitter Files, Taibbi wrote in his thread of information, “are revealing more every day about how the government collects, analyzes, and flags your social media content,” including how “Twitter’s contact with the FBI was constant and pervasive.”

Just how constant, you may ask. Well, as Taibbi explained, the timespan covering January 2020 to November 2022 saw more than “150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.” Of those emails, some “are mundane, like San Francisco agent Elvis Chan wishing Roth a Happy New Year along with a reminder to attend ‘our quarterly call next week.’ Others are requests for information into Twitter users related to active investigations,” Taibbi said. “But a surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts.” . . .

Taibbi shared a screenshot of an email from the FBI to Twitter seeking action against a handful of accounts, confirming that the federal government was pushing Twitter to act against individual users.

(Read more from “New Twitter Files Just Dropped” HERE)

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Arizona Judge Approves Kari Lake’s Requests To Examine Midterm Ballots

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A judge in Maricopa County, Arizona, has approved Republican Kari Lake’s requests to inspect some ballots before the trial in her challenge to the Arizona gubernatorial race results.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson issued a ruling Thursday that approved three of Lake’s four demands for inspecting random ballots from the county

The three types of ballots Thompson approved Lake’s team to review included 50 random “ballot-on-demand” printed ballots that were cast on Election Day, 50 random early ballots cast from “six separate Maricopa County batches,” and 50 random ballot-on-demand printed ballots that were marked as spoiled. Lake’s request to inspect 50 random early ballots from ballot envelopes was denied due to state law, per the judge.

Thompson ordered Lake’s team had until Friday, “December 15, 2022,” an apparent error in the date, at noon MST to submit a ballot inspector, who will be able to inspect the ballots beginning at 8 a.m. MST on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

The judge also specified that the inspection must be conducted in a manner that “does not in any way interfere with any ongoing recount of the 2022 election results.”

(Read more from “Arizona Judge Approves Kari Lake’s Requests To Examine Midterm Ballots” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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Elon Musk Lifts Twitter Suspensions of Journalists

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Elon Musk has reinstated the Twitter accounts of a half dozen journalists who had been briefly suspended for showing how to track the location of the billionaire’s private jet.

The move to lift the bans early Saturday came after Musk faced a firestorm of criticism from prominent political figures, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, for suspending the accounts.

The Twitter CEO said he allowed the users back on the platform based on the results of a 24-hour Twitter survey that he posted Thursday night where he asked if the accounts should be reinstated immediately or in seven days. More than 58% of voters urged him to unsuspend the journalists “now.”

“The people have spoken,” Musk tweeted at 12:18 a.m. Saturday. “Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now.”

New York Times reporter Ryan Mac, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell and other journalist’s accounts were reinstated after Musk made the announcement.

(Read more from “Elon Musk Lifts Twitter Suspensions of Journalists” HERE)

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Pentagon’s UFO Office Has Received Hundreds of New Reports

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A new Pentagon office set up to track reports of unidentified flying objects has received “several hundreds” of new reports, but no evidence so far of alien life, the agency’s leadership told reporters Friday.

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) was set up in July and is responsible for not only tracking unidentified objects in the sky, but also underwater or in space — or potentially an object that has the ability to move from one domain to the next.

The office was established following more than a year of attention on unidentified flying objects that military pilots have observed but have sometimes been reluctant to report due to fear of stigma. (Read more from “Pentagon’s UFO Office Has Received Hundreds of New Reports” HERE)

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Trump Backs McCarthy for House Speaker

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Former President Donald Trump told the conservatives currently withholding support from House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy in McCarthy’s speakership bid to stand down in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News here on Friday.

“I like him,” Trump said of McCarthy, before teeing off on those working against him such as Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Bob Good (R-VA), and Ralph Norman (R-SC). While Trump did not name those trying to stop McCarthy from taking the Speaker’s gavel on January 3, he in no uncertain terms said he disagrees with their efforts—and warned that there could be serious consequences if McCarthy does not get the gavel and they could make Washington worse for conservatives.

Trump’s interview came Friday morning here at his Doral golf resort in Miami and covered a broad range of topics including the Speakership race and much more.

Trump warned that when conservatives took out now-former House Speaker John Boehner in 2015, they ended with now-former Speaker Paul Ryan—who he said was much worse—in the process. (Read more from “Trump Backs McCarthy for House Speaker” HERE)

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House Democrats Move to Bar Trump From Office

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Dozens of House Democrats lined up behind legislation that would bar former President Donald Trump from holding office again.

The bill, introduced Thursday by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), aims to use Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to get the job done, accusing Trump of orchestrating an insurrection with the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, which briefly disrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

“Donald Trump very clearly engaged in an insurrection on January 6, 2021 with the intention of overturning the lawful and fair results of the 2020 election. You don’t get to lead a government you tried to destroy,” Cicilline said in a statement touting how the legislation is packed with testimony and evidence to make the case against the 45th president.

Forty Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors. The legislation was introduced weeks after Trump announced his 2024 presidential election campaign, setting up would could be a rematch against Biden, who has said he intends to seek reelection. (Read more from “House Democrats Move to Bar Trump From Office” HERE)

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Voters From Both Parties Agree That Hunter Biden Should Be Investigated

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Americans on both sides of the political aisle believe Hunter Biden needs to be investigated for his business dealings with foreign governments.

According to a Fox Polls survey, 72 percent of voters that the Justice Department needs to investigate Hunter Biden’s business ventures.

The majority of both parties, 88 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of Democrats, want the younger Biden to be scrutinized.

Several members of the GOP have vowed to hold Hunter Biden responsible for his shady dealings when they take over the House next year.

70 percent of Republicans believe Hunter Biden did something illegal business in China and Ukraine, while 63 percent say President Joe Biden committed a crime related to his son’s activities. (Read more from “Voters From Both Parties Agree That Hunter Biden Should Be Investigated” HERE)

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Merry Christmas! Senate Passes Defense Bill That Repeals Military Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate

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By Breitbart. The Senate on Thursday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which repeals the Biden administration’s military vaccine mandate.

The Senate passed H.R. 7776, the NDAA for the fiscal year 2023, 83-11. The bill featured strong bipartisan support for the bill.

The NDAA repeals Biden’s military vaccine mandate. While many Senate Republicans cheered the repeal of the mandate, GOP senators, such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), said he would continue to fight to give backpay to those who were “wrongfully discharged”:

Florida is home to 21 military bases and three unified commands, and proud of the important and strategic role we play in America’s national defense. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I fought hard this year to make sure the Sunshine State, America’s national security initiatives, our military, veterans and their families got big wins in this NDAA. Since coming to the Senate four years ago, I’ve consistently advocated for major investments in our defense capabilities and to support Florida’s military bases and our military families. The NDAA that passed the Senate today is a huge improvement over President Biden’s woefully inadequate defense budget proposal and a great win for Florida, America’s national security and our military community, but there is still work to do. While I’m glad this NDAA rescinds the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, I will continue to fight so that every service member who was wrongfully discharged has the opportunity to be reinstated with backpay.

(Read more from “Merry Christmas! Senate Passes Defense Bill That Repeals Military Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate” HERE)

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The Senate Just Passed a Major Defense Bill. Here’s What’s in It

By Daily Caller. The Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, sending the $847 billion package to President Joe Biden’s desk.

The bill passed 83-11. The legislation, named for outgoing Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member James Inhofe of Oklahoma, allocates $816 billion to the Department of Defense and $30 billion to the Department of Energy. Here’s what’s in it:

. . .The NDAA eliminates the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Roughly 3,400 service members have been discharged for refusing the shot since Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the mandate in 2021. The bill does not reinstate those service members, and an amendment doing so proposed by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas failed 40-54. . .

The NDAA raises service member and DOD civilian employee pay by 4.6%, which is their largest raise in 20 years. Veterans previously received an 8.7% increase in their pensions, a cost-of-living adjustment announced by the Social Security Administration in October. . .

The bill includes as an amendment the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act, which allocates up to $10 billion in military aid for Taiwan to be distributed over a five-year period. In order to receive the aid, Taiwan must increase its own defense spending. The NDAA also allocates $800 million to Ukraine. Congress could spend up to $40 billion more on aid for Ukraine by the end of the 117th Congress, since President Joe Biden requested that $37 billion more for the war-torn country be included in the FY2023 full government funding package. (Read more from “The Senate Just Passed a Major Defense Bill. Here’s What’s in It” HERE)

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Non-binary Ex-Biden Nuke Official Sam Brinton Told ‘Stay Out of Trouble’ by Judge

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The former Biden Department of Energy official charged with stealing a woman’s suitcase was told by a judge on Wednesday to “stay out of trouble” during a court appearance in Las Vegas. ​

Bail for Sam Brinton, who is non-binary and uses ​they/them pronouns, was set at $15,000 on a felony grand larceny charge for allegedly swiping a $320 piece of luggage in July at Harry Reid International Airport.

Cash bond had already been posted and Brinton was not held after being processed on the charge.

Judge Joe Bonaventure told them to “stay out of trouble” as a condition of the bail, according to KLAS-TV.

Brinton also faces charges in Minnesota for allegedly stealing a woman’s Vera Bradley suitcase in September at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. (Read more from “Non-binary Ex-Biden Nuke Official Sam Brinton Told ‘Stay Out of Trouble’ by Judge” HERE)

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