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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Donald Trump’s Trial to Begin the Day Before Super Tuesday

National Review: Former president Donald Trump’s trial on federal charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election is set to begin on March 4 — one day before Super Tuesday. U.S. district judge Tanya Chutkan set the trial date on Monday, after prosecutors in the case asked that the trial begin on January 2. Trump’s lawyers advocated for a start date in April 2026. He has been charged with four counts in the case: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights (National Review). Reporter John Hasson: Dems tried to set a March 4th date for Trump’s GA trial, but Brian Kemp shut that down. So now they’re setting a March 4th date for Trump’s DC case. Blatantly obvious they want Trump in court the day before Super Tuesday (Twitter).

Majority of Americans Believe President Biden is Too Old

Townhall: A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey found Republicans and Democrats are in agreement over one belief about President Biden: He’s far too old to be an effective leader in a second term. That’s what 77 percent of respondents said regarding the 80-year-old commander-in-chief—a belief 89 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of Democrats shared. And while former President Trump is only a few years younger, voters were less concerned about his age (Townhall). National Review: Sixty-six percent said they would support age limits for presidential candidates, 68 percent would support age limits for Congress and 67 percent would support a mandatory retirement age for justices. Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has proposed mental competency tests for lawmakers over the age of 75 (National Review).

Hawaii Electric Disputes Claim Their Powerlines Caused the Wildfire

Wall Street Journal: Hawaiian Electric said Monday that its power lines weren’t responsible for the wildfire that destroyed the town of Lahaina, killing at least 115 people, and blamed Maui County firefighters for an inadequate response. The company made the statements in a public response to a lawsuit filed last week by Maui County that blamed Hawaiian Electric, the local electric utility known as HECO, for the blaze, and sought damages for costs the local government has incurred (Wall Street Journal). CNBC: The utility said power lines toppled by high winds likely caused the morning brush fire in Lahaina but electricity had been off for hours when a second fire occurred that afternoon. Hawaiian Electric’s stock soared more than 40% on Monday. Hawaiian Electric said power lines appear to have caused the brush fire that started at 6:30 a.m. local time at the intersection of Lahainaluna Road and Hookahua Street in the historic town. The small fire near the downed poles spread into a field near Lahaina Intermediate School. The Maui County Fire Department responded to the morning fire and declared it had been extinguished, according to the company’s account of events leading up to the wildfires (CNBC).

Florida Sheriff Addresses Reason for Violent Actions in Communities

Spencer Brown: In the wake of a shooting at a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General on Saturday, Sheriff T.K. Waters delivered an important reminder about what — or who specifically — is to blame for the tragic loss of life. “The story is always about guns,” Sheriff Waters commented at a press conference of media coverage following the weekend shooting. Rather than the gun being the root of the problem, however, Waters argued, “people are bad” (Townhall). Townhall: JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF: “The story is ALWAYS about guns…If I could take my gun off right now…lay it on this counter, nothing will happen…. The problem is the individual” (Twitter).

Pope Francis States US Catholics Have Replaced Faith with Ideology

Catholic News Agency: In a conversation with Jesuits in Portugal at the beginning of August, Pope Francis commented on a “climate of closure” in the United States, which he said sometimes replaces faith with ideology. “You say you have felt a climate of closure (in the United States),” the pope said, addressing a question from a Jesuit brother. “Yes, this climate can be experienced in some situations. And there you can lose the true tradition and turn to ideologies for support. In other words, ideology replaces faith, membership in a sector of the Church replaces membership in the Church.” He said the situation in the United States is not easy due to “a very strong reactionary attitude,” which “is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally” (Catholic News Agency). National Review: Francis has drawn criticism for his stance on a number of issues, including his calls for gun control and his opposition to the death penalty. He’s come under fire for his emphasis on social justice issues and for his support for the creation of civil union laws for same-sex couples (National Review).

Oregon Voters Behind Repealing Law that Decriminalized Drugs

Washington Examiner: A majority of Oregon residents support repealing a law that decriminalized hard drugs within the state, a reversal of the position’s passage after three years. A poll commissioned by the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions surveyed registered Oregon voters to measure public attitudes toward Measure 110, a voter-passed measure in 2020 that decriminalized the possession of hard drugs in favor of expanding addiction treatment options as funded by the state’s cannabis tax. Measure 110 decriminalized small amounts of drugs such as heroin and other street drugs shortly before fentanyl burst onto the scene as a highly addictive and dangerous synthetic opiate alternative. Fifty-six percent of respondents said that they wanted to see Measure 110 repealed completely, while 45% said the measure should be left as is. Voters also supported repealing parts of the measure to bring back penalties for possessing small amounts of drugs (Washington Examiner). National Review: Once passed, user amounts of hard street drugs were decriminalized, and “harm reduction” efforts — helping addicts to use drugs more safely — were prioritized. People caught with small amounts of drugs started receiving citations, like a parking ticket, and a $100 fine, which can be dismissed if the offender calls a treatment referral hotline and completes an assessment. Money from the state’s marijuana tax was going to be redirected to recovery services. But more than two years later, critics say the money for recovery services was dispensed slowly. During that period, with the rise in fentanyl abuse, drug-overdose deaths have skyrocketed and squalid homeless camps have proliferated. Only about 1 percent of people ticketed for drug possession have called the new hotline for help, an audit found (National Review).

Taliban Stops Female Students from Traveling to Dubai to Study

BBC: “After the Taliban shut universities for women, my only hope was to get a scholarship which would help me study abroad,” says 20-year-old Afghan student Natkai. Natkai’s name has been changed for her own safety. The Taliban have cracked down hard on women who oppose them. Natkai says she kept studying even though there was little chance of her ever attending university in her homeland. Then she was granted a scholarship to study at the University of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Emirati billionaire businessman Sheikh Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor. The scholarships for Afghan women were announced in December 2022 after the Taliban banned women from university. The BBC understands a total of 100 Afghan women have been successful in gaining these scholarships. Some Afghan students living abroad have already travelled to Dubai. Natkai is one of at least 60 girls who were turned away from the airport. Photos seen by the BBC show young girls wearing black hijabs or headscarves standing next to their luggage in a state of shock and devastation. The Taliban has banned solo travel for women and only allow them to go abroad with their husbands or a related male companion such as a brother, uncle or father, known as a mahram, a male escort. But even this was not enough (BBC). RNC Research: Karine Jean-Pierre struggles to articulate Biden’s message to girls in Afghanistan who can no longer attend school after the Taliban takeover (Twitter).

Judge Rules Against Six Sorority Members Opposed to Admitting Trans Student

National Review: A sorority at the University of Wyoming Laramie will be forced to admit a male student into its sisterhood after a court rejected a case brought by six female members. On Friday, U.S. District Alan Johnson granted a motion to dismiss from defendant Artemis Langford, a male UW Laramie sphomore who was admitted to the Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter last year. Johnson ruled that KKG was under no obligation to comply with the definition of “woman” preferred by the six female members who brought the suit (National Review). Associated Press: The sorority sisters opposed to Langford’s induction could presumably change the policy if most sorority members shared their view, or they could resign if “a position of inclusion is too offensive to their personal values,” the sorority’s motion to dismiss says (Associated Press).

California Sues School District for Policy Notifying Parents of Changes to Their Child’s Gender Identity

CBS: California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit Monday against the Chino Valley Unified School District over its recently adopted policy that requires schools to notify parents if their children change their gender identification or pronouns. Bonta said he filed suit against the district over the policy that mandated this notification, calling it a “forced outing” of transgender students that violates their civil rights. “It tramples on students’ rights,” Bonta told reporters. He said he is seeking a court order to immediately halt the policy from taking effect. The move comes after Chino Valley Unified adopted the policy following a shift in leadership on the school board. Communities are divided between those who say parents have a right to know the decisions their children are making at school and those who say that such policies would forcibly “out” transgender students to their parents and threaten the well-being of some of the most vulnerable students (CBS). Los Angeles Times: Monday’s lawsuit comes amid raucous school board meetings over the policy and other political flash points such as critical race theory. and LGBTQ inclusive textbooks. Last week, more than 100 demonstrators opposing LGBTQ education marched from City Hall to the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters (Los Angeles Times).

10.

NASCAR Offers “Diversity Internship” for Non-White People Only

Daily Wire: NASCAR offers a paid “diversity internship” that excludes white people from applying on the basis of their race, a stipulation a constitutional lawyer tells The Daily Wire is “blatantly illegal.” The race car giant’s “diversity internship program” states that there are racial requirements that applicants must meet in order to be accepted. David Bernstein, a professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law, told The Daily Wire that NASCAR’s racially discriminatory program is “blatantly illegal,” noting that it would “seem to violate Title VII and the 1866 Civil Rights Act.” “Having a 100% quota for minorities for a position is illegal even under a very generous view of what is allowed,” Bernstein said, adding that a potential applicant who was unable to apply on the basis of his or her race would have legal standing to sue the company (Daily Wire). Spencer Lindquist: NASCAR has two development programs, one for drivers and another for pit crew members. Both are limited to women or those from a non-white racial background (Twitter).