Kenosha Pledges to Stop Using Ballot Drop Boxes After Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruled They’re Illegal

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Following a contentious legal battle with Wisconsin voters, the city of Kenosha has agreed to stop using unmanned ballot drop boxes in future elections, according to a press release from the Thomas More Society.

In a May lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Society on behalf of the Wisconsin Voter Alliance, the plaintiffs argued that Kenosha’s policy “concerning the use of absentee ballot drop boxes violated state law.”

“Attorneys representing Kenosha had filed a motion in June 2022 to dismiss the complaint, but the July 8, 2022, ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court banned the use of the drop boxes,” the press release reads. “An August 23, 2022, hearing for the case began with Kenosha changing the argument to ‘mootness’ with nothing left to argue, thereby handing the victory to the voters.”

While Kenosha Assistant City Attorney Bryan Charbogian reportedly indicated that the city would stop its use of ballot drop boxes, Thomas More Society Special Counsel Erick Kaardal “refuted the dismissal, pointing out that the city had not changed their 2020 policies concerning drop boxes” and argued that the case “should not be dismissed for mootness until such time the Kenosha Common Council repeals the current drop box policy.” (Read more from “Kenosha Pledges to Stop Using Ballot Drop Boxes After Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruled They’re Illegal” HERE)

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Democrats: It’s Not Enough, ‘Cancel All Student Debt’

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President Biden’s plan to cancel a portion of student loan debt has drawn mixed reactions from both far-leftists and conservatives across social media as some leftists contend it is not enough while others celebrate it as a victory for racial justice, and conservatives claim it will only benefit elites.

President Biden on Wednesday announced his plan to forgive a portion of student loan debt for individual borrowers making less than $125,000.

“In keeping with my campaign promise, my Administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023. I’ll have more details this afternoon,” Biden said in a post on social media ahead of an afternoon press conference.

According to the graphic attached to the tweet, the administration will forgive $20,000 if an individual making under $125,000 annually went to college on Pell Grants. The figure reduces to $10,000 if the individual did not receive Pell Grants. Additionally, the student loan pause has been extended for the rest of the year, expiring December 31, 2022:

(Read more from “Democrats: It’s Not Enough, ‘Cancel All Student Debt’” HERE)

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Major Grocer Sued for Alleged False Advertising

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An anti-factory farm nonprofit alongside a trio of customers sued Whole Foods on Tuesday, claiming that the grocery chain used antibiotics in its beef products despite marketing them with the slogan “No Antibiotics, Ever.”

Activist group Farm Forward claims that independent testing found antibiotics and other pharmaceutical residue in beef sold at Whole Foods, alleging that the Amazon subsidiary’s claims it does not use antibiotics were false advertising, according to their complaint. Farm Forward’s website states that their mission is to “promote conscientious food choices, reduce farmed animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture.”

The non-profit group claims that the use of antibiotics in meats is often unnecessary, promoting industry profits by forcing animals into unsanitary conditions, leading the drugs to become less effective as diseases adapt to the regular low-doses given preventatively to animals in factory farms. Whole Foods currently markets at least 42 beef products as being antibiotic-free, charging a premium price for the moniker, according to the lawsuit.

(Read more from “Major Grocer Sued for Alleged False Advertising” HERE)

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Biden Set to Cancel up to $10K in Student Debt — Here’s What It Will Cost the Average Taxpayer

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By New York Post. President Biden is expected to announce a plan Wednesday to cancel thousands of dollars in federal student loan debt for borrowers who make less than $125,000 per year — despite one think tank warning it could cost the average taxpayer more than $2,000.

CNN, citing multiple sources familiar with the discussions, first reported late Monday that the president would announce the write-off of up to $10,000 per borrower after he returns to Washington from his Delaware beach house.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday evening that Biden will also announce an extension of the current loan payment moratorium until January, after the midterm elections.

Republicans accused the Biden administration of trying to buy the votes of young, college-educated Americans from wealthy families in November.

“Most Americans do things the right way. You pay your debts,” tweeted Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). “Instead, our Administration wants to redistribute billions in student loan debt to our taxpayers.” (Read more from “Biden Set to Cancel up to $10K in Student Debt — Here’s What It Will Cost the Average Taxpayer” HERE)

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Joe Biden Expected to Announce $10,000 Student Loan Forgiveness Program Wednesday: Report

By Fox News. President Joe Biden is expected to announce a much-anticipated loan forgiveness program Wednesday, sources familiar with the plan told the Associated Press.

Americans are poised to foot a nearly $300 billion deal with President Biden’s expected announcement on Wednesday to forgive thousands in federal student loan debt and extend a repayment pause to next year.

According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a one-time maximum debt forgiveness of $10,000 for borrowers who make less than $125,000 will cost around $300 billion for taxpayers.

The cost increases to around $330 billion if the program is continued over the standard 10-year window, according to the figures.

The precise details of Biden’s plan were being kept to an unusually small circle within the Biden administration and were still not finalized on the eve of the announcement, sources told the Associated Press. (Read more from “Joe Biden Expected to Announce $10,000 Student Loan Forgiveness Program Wednesday: Report” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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US Likely to Go to War With China in the Next Decade, Experts Say

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The U.S. and Chinese militaries will clash over a Chinese campaign to take over Taiwan in the near future, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

China’s unequivocal determination to fully integrate Taiwan with the mainland is compounding U.S. fears of growing Chinese threats to itself and key East Asian allies, setting both sides on a risky path to kinetic conflict, according to experts on defense and China/Taiwan issues. A majority of Americans expect war within the next decade, one that experts said could widen beyond repelling a Taiwanese invasion and test the limits of each side’s naval and aerial capabilities.

“Washington and Beijing are caught in a downward spiral of each believing the other side is bent on changing the status quo and each trying to dissuade further movement with shows of force and determination. There’s a moderate risk of war, even though neither side wants it,” Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the East-West Center, told the DCNF.

China has not put forth clear conditions for invading Taiwan, although a Taiwanese declaration of independence would almost certainly trigger the move, according to David Sacks, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 2005, China promulgated the Anti-Secession Law that laid out plans for “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan but also provisioned “vague” circumstances that would justify use of force. (Read more from “US Likely to Go to War With China in the Next Decade, Experts Say” HERE)

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A Majority of Americans Say the Border Crisis Is an ‘Invasion,’ Poll Says

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More than half of all Americans believe the United States is facing an invasion at the southern border, according to a recent survey from NPR.

According to the poll, 54 percent of Americans, including 40 percent of Democrats, say it is “completely true” or “somewhat true” that the border crisis is an “invasion.” Nearly three-quarters, 73 percent, of respondents said they believe the “large number of migrants apprehended at the southern border is a problem.”

The results come as the United States sees the largest influx of illegal immigrants in history. More than 1.8 million migrants have been apprehended by Border Patrol on the southern border since October 2021, a new annual record. The previous record was held by the 2021 fiscal year.

Moreover, the results demonstrate a shift in how Americans view illegal immigration as an active threat to the nation’s sovereignty as news organizations such as NPR make a concerted effort to sanitize the border crisis. The Associated Press in its style guide bars news organizations from using the term “invasion” when reporting immigration-related stories. News organizations that follow the AP style guide, or base their guides on the AP’s, include NPR and Politico.

The AP did not respond to a request for comment. (Read more from “A Majority of Americans Say the Border Crisis Is an ‘Invasion,’ Poll Says” HERE)

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The ‘Election Denier’ Smear Is the Dumbest Rhetorical Device in Modern Politics

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Tacking the word “denier” onto an issue — as in “climate denier” or “election denier”— is one of the dumbest rhetorical devices in modern politics. The purpose, of course, is to insinuate that the underlying position is insidious, beyond the pale, on par with Holocaust denial. One might debate a “conservative” on the issues, but a “denier;” well, that’s someone who can’t be reasoned with.

For starters, the logical and grammatical problem with the “denier” formulation is that nobody actually denies the existence of elections or climate. A “climate denier” is often a person who believes in economic tradeoffs and rejects eco-scaremongering. And an “election denier” is typically someone who believes that a political contest has been stolen, or corrupted, or unfairly implemented. This is the position of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Doug Mastriano and Stacey Abrams, and Dinesh D’Souza and Jonathan Chait.

Certainly, not all “election denialism” is identical. There are those who maintain Donald Trump was a Russian asset since the 1980s and others who believe that the Electoral College is an antiquated institution. Both positions are wrong, but one is a critique of federalism while the other is bonkers. But the left likes to lump together nuts who believe child-porn rings are operating out of DC pizzerias and the millions who have concerns about the prevalence of low-integrity, mail-in ballot systems or executive actions that allow late, undated ballots to be counted after Election Day.

If these latter concerns make one a “denier,” then surely someone who believes that asking a citizen to show an ID before voting is tantamount to Jim Crow is also one. Because, if it’s not “dark money” stealing “democracy,” it’s confusing ballots, or “voter suppression,” or “gerrymandering,” or the Ruskies or the Supreme Court, or the Constitution. It has long been the case that Democrats do not accept the legitimacy of elections.

This weekend, Dem operative Jon Karl interviewed the recently deposed Liz Cheney, who promised to work against “election deniers,” people who do not “respect the outcome of the election.” Among the people Cheney will reject are Ron DeSantis and Ted Cruz—neither of whom, as far as I can tell, deny that Biden is the legitimate president of the United States. Apparently, that isn’t enough anymore. (Read more from “The ‘Election Denier’ Smear Is the Dumbest Rhetorical Device in Modern Politics” HERE)

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Elon Musk to Push for Twitter Geolocation Data After Whistleblower’s Bombshell: Sources

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Elon Musk will push for access to Twitter’s internal geolocation data related to spam accounts at his court hearing Wednesday after it was revealed that a former top executive has accused the company of “lying about bots” to the billionaire Tesla boss, sources close to the situation told The Post.

The geolocation data could help Musk better analyze Twitter’s fake account problem, one source close to the case said.

The in-person hearing in Musk’s ongoing legal battle to scrap his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Delaware Court of Chancery, according to court filings. The Post first reported news of Musk’s plans for the hearing.

Zatko’s complaint claims that Twitter’s leadership is financially incentivized to juice user numbers instead of cracking down on bots. Musk has repeatedly accused Twitter of covering up a bot problem as part of his effort to get out of his $44 billion takeover deal.

In Zatko’s complaint, which was first reported by CNN and the Washington Post on Tuesday, the former executive claims that Twitter’s C-suite could be paid bonuses worth up to $10 million if they boosted the number of users, incentivizing them to ignore the site’s widespread issue with spam accounts. (Read more from “Elon Musk to Push for Twitter Geolocation Data After Whistleblower’s Bombshell: Sources” HERE)

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Are We Headed for a Civil War?

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. . .The deep fracturing of the American electorate — remember the Tea Party? — leading up to the 2012 presidential election was starting to look like what happened in the presidential election in 1860, which occurred amid another massive splintering of the American electorate. . .

A new survey released by Pew Research Center bears out this trend, showing animosities between those identifying with the two parties getting increasingly sharp and increasing numbers of Americans, particularly younger Americans, not happy with either party.

Per the Pew report, in 1994, 21% of Republicans had a “very unfavorable” view of the Democratic Party. Today it is 62%. In 1994, 17% of Democrats had a “very unfavorable” view of the Republican Party. Today it is 54%.

Seventy-two percent of Republicans now, compared to 45% in 2016, say Democrats are more dishonest than other Americans. Sixty-three percent of Democrats, compared to 42% in 2016, say Republicans are more dishonest than other Americans. . .

Just as the presence of slavery challenged the core values and beliefs on which the nation was founded, so today issues such as abortion, sexual identity, and the nature and existence of marriage and family are dividing the common ground on which we stand. (Read more from “Are We Headed for a Civil War?” HERE)

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Google Fellowship’s Racial Caps on White, Asian Nominees May Be Civil Rights Violation, Report Says

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A directive that limits the number of White and Asian students universities can nominate for a highly sought-after Google fellowship may be in violation of civil rights law, according to a report.

The Washington Free Beacon reported Tuesday that Google’s Ph.D. Fellowship allows participating universities to nominate four Ph.D. students each year.

“If a university chooses to nominate more than two students, the third and fourth nominees must self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability,” Google’s criterion says, according to the Free Beacon.

The fellowship gives the selected computer-scientist students $100,000. The outlet reported that the rule has been in place since at least April 2020.

Universities that have nominated students in that time frame are a veritable who’s-who of elite institutions — Harvard, Yale, Duke, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell and Johns Hopkins, to name a few. (Read more from “Google Fellowship’s Racial Caps on White, Asian Nominees May Be Civil Rights Violation, Report Says” HERE)

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