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Thursday, August 31, 2023

Donald Trump Raised $20 Million in August with $9.4 Million Since Mugshot was Taken

Fox News: Former President Trump has raised more than $9.4 million since being processed and taking a mugshot in Fulton County, Georgia last week—bringing the Trump campaign’s fundraising numbers for the month of August to more than $20 million. The fundraising blitz in August also comes after Trump was indicted out of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into alleged interference in the 2020 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump’s arraignment in Georgia is expected to take place in September (Fox News). Collin Rugg: Talk about a massive backfire. According to Fox News digital, the Trump campaign sold 36,000 t-shirts, 24,000 coffee mugs and 8,600 posters, all with Trump’s mugshot on them (Twitter).

Russia Continues to Stall Case of American Reporter Charged with Espionage

Wall Street Journal: Five months into his detention in a Russian prison, no date has been made public for the trial of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter caught in a justice system in which defendants can wait for a year or more before their cases are heard. Gershkovich, a 31-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained by agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, while he was on a reporting assignment in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on March 29 and is now being held on a charge of espionage that he, the Journal and the U.S. government deny. His pretrial detention, at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison, was initially set to expire on May 29 but was prolonged to Aug. 30 following a request from the FSB. Last week, a Russian judge granted investigators’ request that Gershkovich remain behind bars until Nov. 30, creating the potential for him to remain incarcerated for at least eight months before a trial begins. Gershkovich’s lawyers have filed an appeal to the latest extension of his pretrial detention. Further extensions are possible. Under Russian law, pretrial detention can be extended every three months up to a year, and courts can grant additional extensions—for a total of 18 months—as prosecutors and investigators assemble their case, according to Russian lawyers involved in previous espionage cases (Wall Street Journal).

China Releases New 2023 Map Claiming Pieces of India

HotAir: Whether it’s the South China Sea or the most distant regions of Tibet, China is always trying to lay claim to more territory. This week China published an annual map which now includes a region controlled by India as part of China (HotAir). Global Times: The 2023 edition of China’s standard map was officially released on Monday and launched on the website of the standard map service hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources. This map is compiled based on the drawing method of national boundaries of China and various countries in the world (Twitter). Associated Press: Malaysia on Wednesday joined India in protesting a new Chinese map that lays claim to India’s territory and Malaysia’s maritime areas near Borneo island ahead of next week’s Group of 20 summit in New Delhi (Associated Press).

Jim Jordan Subpoenas Center for Countering Digital Hate for Censoring Americans

Katie Pavlich: The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) is in the crosshairs of the House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government after reportedly working with the Biden administration to censor political and other speech online. CCDH describes itself as an “international organization disrupting the production and spread of hate & misinformation” (Townhall). Weaponization Committee: Jim Jordan subpoenas the Center for Countering Digital Hate. CCDH has admitted to directly engaging with the Executive Branch and Big Tech about content moderation (Twitter).

Canada Issues Travel Advisory to Citizens Visiting the US Over LGBT Laws

Daily Wire: Canada has issued a travel advisory for its citizens visiting the U.S. over the passage of laws in some states that ban children from undergoing sex change operations and restrict sexually explicit drag performances. The advisory from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) tells visitors to the U.S. to check out local laws, which a government spokesperson said was a reference to new transgender-related laws passed in conservative states. A spokesperson for the department told the Canadian Broadcasting Company that the advisory was to “enable travelers to make their own informed decisions regarding destinations” (Daily Wire).

Karine Jean-Pierre Avoids Question Surrounding Trans Athletes, Riley Gaines Checks the Press Secretary

Daily Wire: Former female collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines responded to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on social media after the Biden administration official fielded a reporter’s question about trans-identifying male athletes being able to compete in women’s sports. During a Tuesday briefing, a journalist asked Jean-Pierre if President Joe Biden believes “it’s fair for girls to have to compete against biological males?” Jean-Pierre replied, “It is a complicated issue. It is truly a complicated issue with a wide range of views, a wide range of views. There is no yes or no answer to this. It is complicated” (Daily Wire). Riley Gaines: This is quite literally the least complicated issue. Males compete with males. Females compete with females. No one is being told they can’t play sports. No one is being told they can’t transition. Just compete where is safe & fair. Again, not complicated (Twitter).

Parents Sue School Districts for Transitioning Children Without Their Consent or Knowledge

National Review: Michigan parents are suing Vicksburg Community Schools over a policy that allows boys to use girls’ restrooms after four female students discovered an exposed male in their bathroom. Filed in the district court for the Western District of Michigan last week, the lawsuit accuses the district, its superintendent, assistant superintendent, and two principals of seven civil rights and Title IX violations. The district secretly allows biological males to use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms, the lawsuit alleges. The four plaintiffs are all minor students at Vicksburg High School, and the school’s policy permitting students of one sex to use restrooms with members of the opposite sex was allegedly unbeknownst to the girls until they discovered a biological male standing in their bathroom. When female students informed administrators at Vicksburg High School that there were males exposing themselves in the restroom, the administrators said, “It’s fine,” adding that the female students should “tolerate it” and make the situation as “natural” as possible. School officials told the girls to “look away,” according to the lawsuit (National Review). Daily Mail: A California mother who said her daughter was ‘socially transitioned’ into a trans boy by her middle school has won a landmark legal victory against the district – who settled the suit for $100,000. Jessica Konen’s daughter Alicia, 11, was allegedly told by Buena Vista Middle School in Spreckels that she was upset because she didn’t know who she ‘truly was inside.’ The school allowed the child to use the boys’ bathroom and male pronouns in class without her mom’s consent. Konen launched the legal claim against the school and two seventh-grade teachers in 2021 – claiming they kept her daughter’s phony trans identity secret from her and hid that she had been having suicidal thoughts (Daily Mail).

Governor DeSantis Warns Looters in Wake of Hurricane Idalia

Townhall: Speaking from Perry, Florida Wednesday afternoon in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, Republican presidential candidate and Governor Ron DeSantis warned criminals against looting and promised consequences for doing so. “We are not gonna tolerate any looting in the aftermath,” DeSantis said, noting that signs in yards that say “You loot, we shoot” should be taken seriously. “People have a right to defend their property” (Townhall). Florida’s Voice: DESANTIS WARNS LOOTERS AFTER IDALIA: “We are not gonna tolerate any looting in the aftermath.” “You never know what you’re walking into… This part of Florida – you got a lot of advocates and proponents of the 2nd Amendment… ‘You loot, we shoot'” (Twitter).

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Freezes While Taking Questions from Media

Washington Post: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to freeze for several seconds Wednesday while taking questions from journalists in an incident that mirrored another occasion when he abruptly stopped speaking in late July. McConnell took questions from reporters in Covington, Ky., after talking with a local group. A reporter asked him about running for reelection in 2026, then repeated the query twice when McConnell said he couldn’t hear (Washington Post). Charlie Kirk: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to FREEZE again while taking questions (Twitter).

10.

Minnesota Student Attendance Drops by 15 Percent

Alpha News: The number of Minnesota students who consistently attend school has dropped by 15% since 2019. Since 2019, the last time attendance data was released, the number of students with consistent attendance records has dropped from 85% to 69.8%, according to data for the 2021-22 school year. The data also found that, based on 2023 statewide assessments, 50.3% of students are not proficient in reading and 54.7% are not proficient in math (Alpha News). HotAir: COVID shutdowns made everything worse, and the George Floyd/BLM riots and the coddling of the rioters made things infinitely worse. The one good thing they did was lay bare how indifferent school officials and the teachers’ unions are to student well-being. And here we see the result: millions of children have simply given up on school (HotAir).