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1. Lies about Haitian immigrants do a disservice to them and to America

By Christine Flowers
 

There was no evidence of Haitians stealing, cooking, and dining on domesticated animals. The story was debunked before it even made national news, and still there were people saying that it could be true. There still are people who argue against all evidence that immigrants are eating pets. And then you have JD Vance, whom I normally like, perpetuating a myth from his home state.

I understand the discomfort that comes from seeing an influx of people who have different traditions, a different language and a completely different history sent to middle America. We saw that problem in Minnesota when a large number of Somali refugees were resettled in an area founded by largely Scandinavian immigrants. The “melting pot” doesn’t work as well when you try and put oil, and then water, into that recipe. In fact, it boils over.

But the way to deal with the very real problems that come from the mixing of cultures and people is not to make up defamatory stories. There are mechanisms by which we can reconcile our differences and become the welcoming society that we’ve always aspired to create.

Why It Matters. Choosing to demonize people who don’t look or sound like us based on myths is anti-American, and “anti” everything I was raised to believe in.

And this should not be an issue where conservatives abandon the high moral road to liberals. Conservatives are the true party of acceptance, of empathy, and of dignity. We defend unborn life, and we defend refugees who come here with their family-based values and their desire for freedom and a better life. We have much more in common with immigrants than people who have spent the last half century pandering to them, and forcing them into some unwelcome box of victimization.

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2. Questionable news site continues promoting down-ballot Democrats using Facebook ads

By Todd Shepherd
 

Morning Mirror began running the Instagram and Facebook ads for the Democrats on May 23, the day of the Pennsylvania primary, using generic positive messages with uncontroversial, feel-good political positions. For example, a message will say a candidate is “working to lower costs for Pennsylvania families,” or the candidate has a “campaign priority for Pennsylvania: good-paying jobs.”

Yet a check of the Morning Mirror’s homepage clearly shows the site does not strive to create original news content in any meaningful sense. On Sept. 12 this year, the most recent “stories” posted on the site’s homepage all dated back to August, meaning no contemporary content had  been created in two weeks. Although fall was beginning, the site’s “lifestyle” section was inviting readers to “Celebrate Spring at the 2024 National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC.”

Why It Matters. In its brief existence of less than eight months, the Morning Mirror has spent over $172,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads spanning Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin, all swing states.
The Pennsylvania Department of State declined to say whether the Morning Mirror’s activities might violate the commonwealth’s campaign finance laws.

“The Department of State operates on a complaint-driven process. The Department does not offer interpretations of the campaign finance reporting law,” DOS spokeswoman Amy Gulli said.
All of the ads say the Morning Mirror is owned by Star Spangled Media, a business entity registered in New York. Star Spangled Media has not answered requests for comment from several media organizations including Axios, and CJR.

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3. Lightning Round

• Beth Ann Rosica: The case against Kamala — Part Three

• Thom Nickels: Susan Sontag in Philadelphia

• Jeff Bartos: Pennsylvania’s energy resources are a national security asset

• Guy Ciarrocchi: Education Tax Credits work.

• Paul Davis: Dangerous car stops claim another cop’s life

• Peter Mihalick: Despite noise from politicians steel deal is good for Pittsburgh

4. What we're reading

"Consider the latest Gallup data. Among the ten key indicators ahead of the 2024 presidential election, nine of them—including voters’ views on the economy—show Trump and the Republicans should have the upper hand.” So writes Oliver Wiseman this week at the Free Press. In an election environment that massively favors a change in party, why does it feel like Republicans are running in quicksand? It’s a good synopsis of why Trump should be winning, if he could just get out of his own way.“