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Claims of Free Speech, Anti-Gay Discrimination Clash at Supreme Court in Website Designer’s
Case <[link removed]> - Put another way, because the anti-discrimination statute prohibits discrimination based on someone’s status (sexual orientation, race, disability, etc.), refusing to provide a service to same-sex couples would be illegal. But if Smith was expressing a viewpoint or message on marriage through her web designs, the First Amendment would protect her right to be free from compelled speech.  Heritage Expert: Sarah Parshall Perry <[link removed]>

Heritage Files Section 230 Amicus Brief on Behalf of 17 U.S. Senators and Representatives <[link removed]> - Gonzalez v Google puts the limits of Section 230 immunity to test. The family of Naomi Gonzalez argues that YouTube helped aid and abet her killing in the 2015 Islamic State terrorist attacks in Paris by “recommending” content by a militant Muslim group. The central premise the court is considering in the case is whether YouTube’s active role in recommending videos negates Section 230’s liability shield for tech
companies. Heritage Expert: Jake Denton <[link removed]>
Hey, Congress: No last-minute shopping at taxpayer expense <[link removed]> - With the Treasury — and therefore the taxpayer — hopelessly $31.5 trillion in debt, there is no room for more borrowing and spending, especially by a Congress whose priorities are clearly not aligned with the American people’s. Liberals may crow about their love of democracy, but it is hard to imagine something less democratic than a lame-duck Congress thwarting the will of the American people by hastily assembling and passing another bloated omnibus, and thereby robbing the people’s duly elected representatives of the chance to pass meaningful spending reform beginning in January. Heritage Expert: EJ Antoni <[link removed]>
The Department of Veterans Affairs Has No Authority to Provide Taxpayer-Funded Abortions for Its Beneficiaries <[link removed]> - The Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) tries to convince the public that somewhere within unclear statutory language and ill-defined pre-emption regulations lies the authority to implement an unheard-of vision for the nation’s medical system. It asserts that the federal government may provide abortions—practically on demand—and with no guardrails for state regulation whatsoever. The process that the VA used to rush its rule into effect is devoid of the good cause demanded by law. The VA should cease implementation of its rule. To do otherwise would render the cherished pillars of our government—rule of law, federalism, and participatory democracy—to be mere “parchment guarantees.” Heritage Expert: Sarah Parshall Perry <[link removed]> and Jack Fitzhenry <[link removed]>
The US is losing the developing world to China <[link removed]> –
This was a radical shift. Since the 1980s, the primary aim of Chinese diplomats was to placate the U.S. and its allies, easing their concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s global intentions and convincing them that China’s rise actually benefits the existing international system. This policy was successful — the U.S. not only didn’t oppose China’s rise, but it actively enabled it, truly believing the disinformation narrative that engagement would result in democratic and free market reforms. Heritage Expert: Michael Cunningham <[link removed]>
Apple May Soon Have to Choose Between China’s WeChat, and Elon Musk’s Twitter.  <[link removed]>-  Due to the effective absence of regulatory oversight in Silicon Valley, Apple has captured the mobile app market and is using its power to abuse rivals and stifle competition. When mobile app developers list their applications on the App Store, Apple forces them to consent to handing over 30 percent <[link removed]> of all in-app transactions. When developers push back against this, Apple can move hastily to delist <[link removed]> their application and impede their business. Apple’s abuse of mobile developers is not just limited to this so-called “Apple tax.” The company also uses its power to advance political positions. When free speech alternatives to Twitter emerged, Apple—along with Google and Amazon—swiftly removed them from the marketplace. Heritage Expert: Jake Denton <[link removed]>

Amnesty for DACA fails border security test <[link removed]> - At the federal level, the Administration has: watered down asylum standards and ignored immigration benefit fraud; granted mass paroles; endlessly extended "Temporary" Protected Status to
nationals of over a dozen countries; continued DACA; reduced the capacity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to locate, detain, and deport illegal aliens; and provided endless "due" process before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and in immigration court until an alien gets a green card. States and localities have created sanctuary jurisdictions in which public officials refuse to ask a person’s immigration status or to communicate with ICE. They further facilitate illegal aliens’ ability to stay longer in the U.S. by providing drivers licenses, which lead to additional downstream benefits, like bank accounts, housing assistance and voting rights. Heritage Expert: Lora Ries <[link removed]>

Biden’s latest student loan payment extension is unlawful <[link removed]> - While the earliest delays were at least plausibly tied directly to the pandemic emergency, as the HEROES Act requires, each successive delay has been less and less reasonable. With this latest delay, tied to litigation instead of the emergency, the Biden  <[link removed]>administration has clearly lost the thread. Heritage Expert: Adam Kissel <[link removed]>

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