Desperate for Funds, Biden Hosts Hollywood Celebrities in $28M Event

Luis Cornelio
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Desperate for Funds, Biden Hosts Hollywood Celebrities in $28M Event

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Amid plummeting poll numbers and growing scandals, President Joe Biden has turned to his wealthy Hollywood friends for a $28 million fundraiser, starkly contrasting with the grassroots support boasted by his key opponent, former President Donald Trump. 

According to the New York Times, Biden, desperate to revive his faltering re-election campaign, will host a lavish event featuring former President Barack Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts and insufferable comedian Jimmy Kimmel on Saturday morning. 

This marks the second time Biden has had to rely on celebrity allies to rake in millions for his campaign.  

In March, he leaned on Obama, former President Bill Clinton, embattled singer Lizzo, and Stephen Colbert for a $26 million fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall. 

Not to be outdone, Trump secured a staggering $50.5 million at a historic fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida, in April, which he triumphantly called the “Biggest night in Fund Raising of ALL TIME!!!” 

Following a conviction by a jury in heavily Democratic Manhattan, Trump amassed $141 million in donations from outraged Americans who see the justice system as weaponized against Republicans. 

Tickets for Biden’s glitzy Hollywood event range from $250 to an eye-watering $500,000 for a premium four-seat package.  

Kimmel will interview Biden and Obama, with other elite attendees including Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Sheryl Lee Ralph. 

Biden flew directly from southern Italy, where he attended the much-criticized G7 summit, to the Los Angeles soiree. 

In Italy, Biden’s apparent confusion and disorientation were on full display as he wandered away during a skydiving presentation, prompting an embarrassed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to intervene. 

The incident, captured on video and widely circulated on social media, further fueled concerns about Biden’s mental acuity at 81 years old, making him the oldest president in U.S. history. 

SCOTUS Gives Starbucks Victory in Memphis Union Lawsuit

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SCOTUS Gives Starbucks Victory in Memphis Union Lawsuit

(Carleen Johnson, The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of Starbucks in a labor dispute with seven workers who tried to unionize one of the coffee company’s stores in Memphis, Tenn.

The decision overturns an order from the National Labor Relations Board to reinstate the fired workers, and is considered a significant blow to union organizers and labor activism.

The dispute goes back to 2022, when a group of workers self-named the “Memphis 7,” who were trying to unionize, invited news cameras into the Memphis store after hours, in violation of company policy.

The NLRB sought an injunction to have the seven employees reinstated while the case moved forward, and a federal judge granted that reinstatement. An appeals court affirmed that decision.

On Thursday, all nine high court justices agreed to throw out the lower court’s approval of the injunction, saying that they had used an improper legal standard to issue the preliminary injunction.

A statement emailed to The Center Square from Starbucks says in part: “Starbucks believes that our partners are the core of our business, and we are committed to providing everyone who wears the green apron a bridge to a better future. We will continue to focus on making progress toward our goal of reaching ratified contracts for represented stores this year.”

The opinion from the nation’s highest court concluded, “We hold that district courts must apply the traditional four factors articulated in Winters when considering the Board’s requests for a preliminary injunction. We therefore vacate the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”

The Winters reference is to a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a case between the U.S. Navy and the Natural Resources Defense Council, concerning Navy sonar training exercises and the potential impact on marine life.

The high court ruled four factors were under consideration in that case in determining whether a preliminary injunction is appropriate: whether the plaintiff is likely to succeed on the merits, whether the plaintiff is likely to suffer irreparable harm without the injunction, whether the balance of equities and hardships is in the plaintiff’s favor, and whether an injunction is in the public interest.

The high court said the lower courts failed to use that four-part test.

Workers at the Poplar Avenue Starbucks in Memphis at the heart of the case subsequently voted to unionize.

According to Starbucks Workers United, about 440 Starbucks stores have unionized, impacting some 10,500 employees.

Starbucks has moved to close some of those union locations, citing safety concerns.

Five Seattle Starbucks locations were closed in 2022, after the company indicated “attempts to address safety concerns were not effective. According to Starbucks spokesman Andrew Trull in an interview with the Seattle Times, “incidents included theft, vandalism, property damage, drug use, threats of physical violence, verbal harassment and assault.”

The Starbucks Workers Union pushed back on the narrative, saying the closures were intended to slow down union campaigns.

The “Memphis 7” case now goes back to an appeals court.

High-Ranking Fugitive MS-13 Gang Member Arrested, Faces Terrorism-Related Crimes

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High-Ranking Fugitive MS-13 Gang Member Arrested, Faces Terrorism-Related Crimes

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – A high-ranking El Salvadoran gang member and fugitive was arrested at one of the busiest airports in Texas on Monday, wanted on a range of terrorism-related charges.

On June 9, Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, a high-ranking leader of the El Salvadoran gang, La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations agents at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Known as “Grenas de Stoners” and “Oso de Stoners,” Lopez-Larios had been on the run as a fugitive for more than three years. He is an original member of MS-13‘s Twelve Apostles of the Devil and one of MS-13’s top enforcers in its Ranfla Nacional command structure, according to the EDNY indictment.

The next day, a federal judge ordered him to be transferred into custody of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) who is prosecuting high-ranking gang members who have “spilled so much blood and turned communities into war zones” thousands of miles from the border.

The high-profile arrest was the result of multiple law enforcement agency efforts in several states dedicated to thwarting cartel-affiliated and transnational criminal activity.

Lopez-Larios was charged with conspiracy to “provide and conceal material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, conspiracy to finance terrorism, and narco-terrorism conspiracy.” If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“The arrest of Lopez-Larios, who is one of the most senior leaders of MS-13 in the world, is a significant achievement for law enforcement and another crucial step in the dismantling of this international criminal enterprise,” Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said. “The defendant will soon face a reckoning in a federal courtroom on Long Island where, acting on his orders, MS-13 has spilled so much blood and turned communities into war zones.”

According to the indictment and related court filings, Lopez-Larios and his co-defendants lead MS-13’s command and control structure, consisting of the Ranfla Nacional, Ranfla en Las Calles, and Ranfla en Los Penales. All three extend throughout El Salvador, Mexico, the U.S. and worldwide.

Investigators believe that roughly 22 years ago, Lopez-Larios, his co-defendants and other MS-13 leaders “began establishing a highly organized, hierarchical command and control structure” to enforce their orders, including from inside prison. Through this structure, they allegedly “directed acts of violence and murder in El Salvador, the United States and elsewhere, established military-style training camps for MS-13 members and obtained military weapons such as rifles, handguns, grenades, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and rocket launchers.”

Also in approximately 2012, Lopez-Larios and members of the Ranfla Nacional began “negotiating” with government officials in El Salvador to receive “benefits and concessions from the government” after MS-13 members “engaged in public displays of violence to threaten and intimidate civilian populations, target GOES law enforcement and military officials, and manipulate the electoral process in El Salvador.”

The Ranfla Nacional also allegedly directed MS-13’s expansion worldwide, including in the U.S. and Mexico, “where Lopez-Larios and other high-ranking leaders were sent to organize operations, make connections to obtain narcotics and firearms from Mexican drug cartels such as the Zetas, Gulf Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Sinaloa Cartel, and engage in human trafficking and smuggling,” according to the indictment.

The Ranfla Nacional also allegedly directed MS-13 members throughout the U.S. “to engage in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and extortion to raise money to support MS-13’s terrorist activities in El Salvador and elsewhere.”

They have also entrenched themselves in regions nationwide, including in the EDNY, where they “committed murders, attempted murders, assaults, kidnappings, drug trafficking, extortion of individuals and businesses, and obstruction of justice,” according to the indictment.

The dues and proceeds of their criminal activity were then allegedly sent by wire transfer to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador, investigators found. The EDNY’s Long Island Criminal Division has so far prosecuted hundreds of MS-13 leaders, members and associates for carrying out more than 70 murders since 2009, it says.

The EDNY has so far charged 27 of MS-13’s highest-ranking leaders with a range of violent crimes. In a related United States v. Arevalo-Chavezi ndictment, two defendants, Jorge Alexander De La Cruz (“Cruger de Peatonales”) and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales (“Veterano de Tribus”) remain at large.

Anyone with information about De La Cruz and Roman-Bardales are encouraged to contact the FBI’s toll-free MS-13 tip line, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or HSI’s tip line at (866) 347-2423 or ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form. The FBI and HSI have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction.

New Book Exposes Anti-White Racism in America

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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New Book Exposes Anti-White Racism in America

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Claremont Institute Senior Fellow Jeremy Carl recently talked about his new book on anti-white racism, The Unprotected Class: How Anti-White Racism is Tearing America Apart, during a virtual event hosted by the think tank.

“Diversity in and of itself is not an asset. You have to be bringing other things to the table,” Carl said during the June 11, 2024, event, the College Fix reported.

Carl also worked as a research fellow for Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and served in the Trump administration as the deputy assistant secretary for the interior.

During the event, Carl said that he decided to write the book because nobody else wanted to talk about the issue, adding that he has been thinking about the issue of racism toward white people for the last two decades.

“While political and media elites hysterically condemn an imaginary epidemic of ‘white supremacy,’ in the real world, white Americans are often openly discriminated against. Indeed, anti-white policies have become so interwoven in the fabric of American life that we often fail to recognize them,” the book description said.

Carl added during the event that the problem was caused by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“A lot of the seeds of some of the problems that we have today [came from the Act]. The ‘64 Act was a response to very real problems that still existed. It was a blunt instrument to attack those problems,” he said.

He then said, “If you snap your fingers and get rid of it today a lot of these problems would still persist.”

In his book, Carl also addressed the idea of “white flight,” or the argument that white people fled the cities for the suburbs once black people began moving into the urban neighborhoods.

“I think this is kind of the most radical claim I make in my book, although, it’s very well supported by the evidence that I provide… I basically argue that ‘The White Flight’ was really the only form of ethnic cleansing in which the victims were blamed. White people have been attacked for leaving, and they’ve been attacked for staying,” he said.

Report: America Has a Fatherhood Crisis

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Report: America Has a Fatherhood Crisis

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) Several reports indicate that America has a fatherhood crisis, which has created a culture of “floundering” young men. 

Young men from non-intact families are more likely to end up in prison or jail, drop out of high school or not graduate from college compared to young men raised by their married biological parents with their father living in the home, a new Institute for Family Studies report argues.

“What we see for young men today is a family-to-prison-or-college pipeline that is more likely to deliver boys from intact families towards college graduation and boys from non-intact families towards prison or jail,” the report states. “Young men raised by their two married, biological parents are almost 20 percentage points more likely to graduate college than end up in prison/jail.”

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, nearly 20 million American children live in homes where their biological fathers do not live. 

“Fathers influence their children’s development in unique and meaningful ways. Positive father involvement is associated with better outcomes on nearly every measure of child well-being, including being less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol and more likely to graduate high school,” the organization says.

Another IFS report points to data showing that fatherless families are more likely to be poor and “boys raised without their father are much more likely to use drugs, engage in violent or criminal behavior, go to jail, and drop out of school,” citing state and federal data.

The National Fatherhood Initiative first began raising awareness about the benefits of father involvement in 1994, working to equip communities through a range of training programs and resources. Over the last 30 years, it’s distributed more than 11 million fatherhood skill-building resources and trained more than 45,000 individuals working with dads.

It’s also collaborated with more than 10,000 organizations in communities and created a comprehensive reference manual about the impact of fathers in “Father Facts.” Its evidence-based 24:7 Dad and InsideOut Dad programs are also used by organizations nationwide, including those receiving federal “responsible fatherhood” grants.

On the state level, Florida has taken the lead in addressing the issue. In 2020, its state legislature unanimously passed a bill to allocate $70 million to fund a range of support programs for fathers. 

Children not having a father in their home “has a severe impact on children, and often leads to dropping out of school, crime and substance abuse,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said when signing the bill into law. “Incredibly, there are those who diminish the importance of fatherhood and the nuclear family,” but in Florida, “we are doing everything we can to support involved fatherhood.”

Former House Speaker Chris Sprowls said at the time that while Florida “cannot legislate fatherhood, accountability or character,” it could “provide support for fathers to equip and encourage them to take an active role in the lives of their children.”

‘We Will Find You’: Lara Trump’s Stern Message to Voter Fraud

Luis Cornelio
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‘We Will Find You’: Lara Trump’s Stern Message to Voter Fraud

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump delivered Friday a stern warning to anyone considering voter fraud in the 2024 presidential election: “We will find you, we will track you down, and we will prosecute you to the full extent of the law.”

Speaking at a “Liberation Show: Detroit,” an event by Turning Point USA, Trump emphasized the importance of election integrity, calling it a “top priority.” She said, “If we don’t have free, fair, and transparent elections nothing else matters—that is our goal at the RNC.” 

She went on to stress that election integrity should be a universal concern. “By the way, every single person in this country, regardless of how you vote, should want free and fair elections,” she added. 

The Daily Caller first reported Trump’s remarks.

She and RNC Chair Michael Whatley assumed their roles on March 8, following the resignation of former chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, who stepped down after a series of Republican losses since the 2016 presidential election. 

Before taking the stage, Trump discussed election integrity efforts with Whatley. “Right before I came here, I was about 30 minutes away with the chairman of the RNC Michael Whatley,” she noted. “He and I started here in the state of Michigan, launching our election integrity program.” 

She outlined the scope of their efforts, saying, “What we want to do is train 100,000 people all across this country to be part of that team.” 

Trump also hinted at a significant legal presence at polling locations. “We also want attorneys to work in every major polling location so we are not reactive, we are proactive: the second you see an issue, we address it,” she said. 

In addition to having attorneys on the ground, Trump described another layer of their strategy. “We’re going to have war rooms set up all across this country in every state as well to deal with things as they happen, not days, weeks, or months later,” she added.

Caitlin Clark Responsible for 33.5% of WNBA Attendance, League Still Loses $50M

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Caitlin Clark Responsible for 33.5% of WNBA Attendance, League Still Loses $50M

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) The WNBA is expected to lose tens of millions of dollars this year, even though only one player, Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark, was responsible for 33.5% of the league’s attendance.

Clark was also snubbed from a spot on the Women’s Olympic team, the Post Millennial reported.

The WNBA and its teams are expected to lose around $50 million this year, according to two people with knowledge of the figures. During the 2018 season, on average, the WNBA has lost “over $10 million every year we’ve operated,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

In the 2023 season, the WNBA reportedly took in between $180 and $200 million, with an anonymous WNBA team executive admitting once again that the league would not be able to exist without the NBA.

“The truth is, this league would be hard-pressed to exist without the NBA,” the executive said.

The news came after Clark contributed to higher attendance of games she has played so far this season. with teams seeing an 87% increase in ticket sales when the Indiana Fevers played than the opposing team’s home stadium. The news source also reported that Clark’s presence at games also accounts for 33.5% of the WNBA’s total attendance this year so far.

Even though Clark is an extremely popular player, she was not chosen to be on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball for the Paris Olympics this summer. In her rookie year with the Fevers, Clark finished her NCAA career as the Division I career scoring leader and is a major fan favorite, the news source reported.

One of the reasons why she wasn’t included was her fans, with sources saying “that concern over how Clark’s millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time.”

Clark was the number one draft pick in 2024, recently making a WNBA rookie record-tying seven 3-pointers in one game and scoring 30 points total, the news source added.

Second Round of Lawsuits Filed Over EPA Emissions Rule, EV Mandate

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Second Round of Lawsuits Filed Over EPA Emissions Rule, EV Mandate

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – Several more groups have sued the Environmental Protection Agency over a new emissions rule and electronic vehicle mandate it’s seeking to impose, which opponents argue would hurt the auto and agricultural industries.

It’s the second round of lawsuits filed against the EPA after 25 attorneys general sued over the rule in April.

The lawsuits seek to stop an EPA federal rule from going into effect, the “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium- Duty Vehicles,” proposed through the Clean Air Act. It requires car manufacturers to create “zero-emission vehicles and plug-in-hybrid electric vehicles in compliance with calculations, medium-duty vehicle incentive multipliers, and vehicle certification and compliance.”

It’s set to become effective June 17.

This is after in March, the Biden administration finalized new federal vehicle emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles that require 68% of new passenger vehicles and 43% of new medium-duty trucks and vans to be electric by 2032.

In response, more than 4,000 dealerships from every state sent a letter to the president asking him to “tap the brakes” on the proposed EV mandate. After receiving no response, in January, more than 5,000 dealers sent a second letter urging him to “slam the brakes,” The Center Square reported.

Led by the American Petroleum Institute, the coalition includes the National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation and six auto dealers representing sixteen brands that collectively operate dozens of dealerships in major markets nationwide. They include Mickey Anderson, president and CEO of Baxter Auto Group; Thomas Maoli, president and CEO of Celebrity Motor Cars; Roger Elswick, president and CEO of Community Auto Group; Steve Gates, owner of Gates Automotive Group; Phillip Tarver, owner of Lake Charles Toyota; and Bob Loquercio, owner of Bob Loquercio Auto Group.

The coalition sued the EPA in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday “to protect American consumers, U.S. manufacturing workers and our nation’s hard-won energy security from this intrusive government mandate,” API Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ryan Meyers said. “The EPA has exceeded its congressional authority with this regulation that will eliminate most new gas cars and traditional hybrids from the U.S. market in less than a decade.”

“By approving tailpipe standards that focus exclusively on electric vehicles, the EPA has ignored the proven benefits corn ethanol plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting climate change,” Minnesota farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle said. “While it could take decades to get enough electric vehicles on the road to significantly lower GHG emissions, ethanol is a critical and effective climate solution that is available now. We have tried to make this case to EPA to no avail, and now we will make our case in court.”

“Farmers answered the call to help America be more sustainable by growing the crops necessary for renewable fuels. Now, the rug is being pulled out from underneath them with unrealistic emissions goals that put years of investment at risk,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said. “Impractical standards for light-duty and medium-duty trucks will drive up the cost of farm vehicles and force farmers to rely on a charging network that does not yet exist in rural areas.”

The lawsuits were filed as 50% of likely voters surveyed say the Biden administration should reduce its electric vehicle sales target and car dealers say consumers’ interest in buying EVs has waned, a recent The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found.

The EPA continued to push for more EV mandates and emission standard requirements as car manufacturers’ profits dropped and many announced layoffs and plans to scrap their proposed EV production plans, The Center Square reported.

‘Mr.’ Fauci Admits to Receiving Multi-Million Dollar Offers from Big Pharma

Luis Cornelio
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‘Mr.’ Fauci Admits to Receiving Multi-Million Dollar Offers from Big Pharma

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Embattled Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed he was offered up to $7 million a year to perform unspecified tasks in exchange for quitting his job as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). 

Fauci retired from his government post after serving as the NIAID head since 1984. In contrast to the multi-million dollar offers he claimed to have rejected, he was paid a generous $481,000 in his last year on the job, reported the New York Post. 

“At the time that I was getting offered it … I was making $125,000, $200,000,” Fauci claimed during an interview on the latest installment of CBS News Sunday Morning. “Then I would get offered a job that would get me $5 million, $6 million, $7 million a year.” 

But who was making these offers and for what purpose?  

Fauci claimed that private-sector entities, including private equity and pharmaceutical companies, were behind these efforts. He said he rejected these offers because his government post was “priceless.” 

As transcribed by the New York Post, Fauci added, “I really felt what I was doing was having an impact on what I cared about, which was the health of the country and, indirectly, the health of the world, because the United States is such a leader in science, medicine and public health that what we do, indirectly, spills over onto the rest of the world, and to me, that is priceless.” 

Despite retiring in 2022, Fauci has made high-profile appearances on news outlets. 

He has also come under fire from several Republican lawmakers who have held him accountable for implementing some of the draconian COVID-19-era policies, which Fauci has now admitted had little to no scientific evidence to support them.

“We should be recommending you to be prosecuted,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told Fauci during a congressional hearing. “We should be writing a criminal referral. You should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. You belong in prison, Dr. Fauci.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wrote on Twitter, “Dr. Fauci spear-headed the largest cover-up in medical history. He lied about the origins of COVID & forced us into unconstitutional lockdowns & mandates.” 

NBC Employee Fired Over Facebook Straight Pride Post

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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NBC Employee Fired Over Facebook Straight Pride Post

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A staffer at an NBC News affiliate in Ohio who had been working at the station for over 20 years was fired on June 11, 2024, for posting an “unauthorized” meme on Facebook in support of “Straight Pride” during June’s celebration of everything LGBT. 

WFMJ in Youngstown, Ohio, announced that she was fired from her job for daring to offend homosexuals who shove their ideology down normal people’s throats all the time, especially during June, the Post Millennial reported. The station also released a public apology over the “concerning” incident.

Earlier this month, Madonna Chism Pickard, who was the station’s community relations director, posted a meme on her personal Facebook account that features a newlywed man and woman along with a caption that would offend everyone who opposes reality.

“Celebrate Straight Pride! It’s Natural, It Has Worked for Thousands of Years, And You Can Make Babies!” the caption stated.

However, Pickard, whose profile picture featured a company logo, made the mistake of taking down the post and apologizing for offending highly sensitive people. As expected, it didn’t work very well and, after the pro-LGBT mob informed the station about the “offensive” post that the employee made, WFMJ released a statement condemning Pickard’s actions.

“Dear WFMJ Viewers, early this morning, WFMJ management was made aware of an unauthorized social media post by a WFMJ employee. That post has since been removed. WFMJ is conducting an investigation into the unauthorized post. We are concerned by this incident and are moving forward with a thorough investigation,” the station wrote on Facebook on June 6, 2024.

After that, the station released a follow-up post on Jun 11, 2024, announcing Pickard’s termination.

“WFMJ has terminated the employment of our Community Relations Director following her unauthorized post on a company-linked social media site last week. WFMJ is committed to serving our entire community with the respect we believe all people deserve,” the station wrote.

WFMJ then went on to say the standard talking point about how normal people must not push back against LGBT because the unnatural behavior apparently should be tolerated.

“We recognize we live in a diverse community with differing views on many topics, and we believe discussions of those views and reporting on them should be done in a respectful manner by all. We deeply regret that our Community Relations Director crossed the line,” the station added.

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