GOP Prepared to Unleash 150 Subpoenas if Dems Target SCOTUS Justices

Molly Bruns
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GOP Prepared to Unleash 150 Subpoenas if Dems Target SCOTUS Justices

(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Republican lawmakers are preparing an estimated 150 subpoenas for leftist donors and allies in the event that their Democrat counterparts proceed with a politicized campaign against conservative Supreme Court justices.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee—led by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.—have launched several attacks on justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito in particular, according to Brietbart.

“The Left is furious … that they cannot control the court,” said Mark Paoletta, a former White House lawyer and current fellow at the Center for Renewing America.

Democrats are “throwing the kitchen sink at trying to make the American people think that it’s a corrupt court,” he added.

Among the targets they are planning to investigate are conservative leader Leonard Leo and GOP donor Harlan Crow, both of whom have been subjected to well-funded media smear campaigns as a result of their friendships with the justices.

Republicans are hoping that their in-kind response will be a deterrence to Democrats, underscoring the fact that liberal justices and lawmakers alike have also benefited from their relationships with affluent influence-peddlers.

Democrat mega-donor David Rubenstein, for example, hosted President Joe Biden and his family for Thanksgiving last week, and historically has provided lavish accommodations for liberals and Democrats.

Retired Justice Stephen Breyer traveled in Rubenstein’s private jet to a Nantucket wedding in 2014, while he was still active on the high court. No officials questioned the ethical ramifications of this action.

In 2018, billionaire Morris Kahn flew then-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg all over the Middle East, yet no one opened an investigation.

The subpoenas and subsequent investigations could result in a firestorm of revelations, including some about Biden’s relationship with deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his infamous travel logs.

Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and James Comer, R-Ky., can issue congressional subpoenas as respective chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.

Report: 2020 Censorship Crackdown Began in Obama’s White House

Ken Silva
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Report: 2020 Censorship Crackdown Began in Obama’s White House

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Much reporting has been done this year on the “censorship-industrial complex”—a cabal of government-sponsored groups that pressured social media companies to censor information about COVID-19 and the 2020 presidential election.

According to reporter Michael Shellenberger, the shadowy network of censors originated from the military.

Citing an unnamed whistleblower, Shellenberger reported on Tuesday that a group of “former” military and intelligence officials formed a group called the Cyber Threat Intelligence League, and began devising a plan for censoring the internet soon after Donald Trump won the 2016 election.

“The whistleblower alleges that a leader of [CTIL], a ‘former’ British intelligence analyst, was ‘in the room’ at the Obama White House in 2017 when she received the instructions to create a counter-disinformation project to stop a ‘repeat of 2016,’” Shellenberger wrote.

That “former” British intelligence analyst, Sara-Jayne “SJ” Terp, formed CTIL with a “former” Israeli intelligence official, Ohad Zaidenberg; a Microsoft “security manager,” Nate Warfield; and the head of sec ops for DEF CON, a hackers convention, Marc Rogers, according to Shellenberger.

Scattered media articles from early 2020 reported on how CTIL purportedly combated cybercrime such as the hacking of hospitals amidst, but internal messages show that the group was heavily pushing censorship, according to Shellenberger.

“They tracked posters calling for anti-lockdown protests as disinformation artifacts,” he wrote.

“CTIL also worked to brainstorm counter-messaging for things like encouraging people to wear masks and discussed building an amplification network.”

CTIL started working with Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency, or CISA, in 2020, Shellenberger wrote. CISA was one of the main U.S. agencies to push internet censorship in 2020 on the grounds of combating “misinformation.”

As has been reported, CISA pushed internet censorship by spearheading the “Election Integrity Project,” or EIP, which was a consortium of “disinformation” academics that worked directly with DHS and the State Department to monitor and censor Americans’ online speech in advance of the 2020 presidential election.

The EIP would generate “misinformation reports,” which the DHS would then present to social media companies to encourage them to censor certain content.

Conservatives were most impacted by this DHS-funded scheme, according to a recent House Judiciary Committee report. Those affected include Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie—all having their social media accounts censored at some point during 2020.

The House Weaponization Subcommittee is set to have a hearing about the censorship-industrial complex on Thursday, and Shellenberger is on the list of witnesses to testify.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

School Honoring The Star-Spangled Banner Poet Faces Name Change Amid Slavery Claims

Luis Cornelio
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School Honoring The Star-Spangled Banner Poet Faces Name Change Amid Slavery Claims

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The largest school district in Maryland is reportedly considering renaming a middle school named after the author of The Star-Spangled Banner due to his ownership of slaves, the Daily Mail reported on Monday. 

Montgomery County Public Schools aims to purge the names of schools associated with slave owners, which includes Francis Scott Key Middle School, named after Francis Scott Key, a Maryland native and poet who authored the U.S. National Anthem. 

This potential move follows a district review that identified at least seven schools named after individuals now named under the left’s persona non grata blacklists. 

The schools facing scrutiny include the Montgomery Blair High School; Francis Scott Key Middle School; Col. Zadok Magruder High School; Richard Montgomery High School; John Poole Middle School; Thomas S. Wootton High School; and the Julius West Middle School. 

In 2019, the board of education introduced new naming criteria for schools, requiring that the potential honoree must be deceased and have made a significant contribution to the community. 

Three year later, members of Magruder High School initiated a petition to rename their school because of Col. Zadok Magruder’s alleged ownership of 26 enslaved individuals listed on the 1790 Census, the Mail reported, citing a Washington Post article. 

In response, the school district distributed surveys within the community regarding the renaming of several schools, including the one named after Key. Reportedly, the district also engaged a consulting group called Coaction Collective to facilitate discussions about the district’s perspective on the names. 

According to the Mail, the U.S. National Park Service stated that Key had a complex relationship with slavery. As an attorney, he believed that all men were “free” by “the law of nature,” but his family owned slaves at the time of his birth. It’s also believed that Key himself owned six enslaved individuals by 1820. 

The news was met with swift criticism from conservative critics on Twitter. Podcast host Jack Posobiec commented, “They’re coming for the National Anthem now.” In response, a user remarked on Posobiec’s tweet, stating, “That’s what socialists do …take away the culture…the past. They want it all gone.”

Woke Companies Ditch DEI Amid Economic Uncertainty, Public Pressure

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Woke Companies Ditch DEI Amid Economic Uncertainty, Public Pressure

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Companies all around America started removing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives due to the tightening economic conditions.

Consulting firm Paradigm recently released a report, in which it wrote that the total percentage of American organizations with a DEI budget dropped 4%, from 58% in 2022 to 54% in 2023, with the number of organizations with a DEI strategy falling 9% in that same time frame.

DEI gained huge traction in 2020 after the death of George Floyd. However, this year, the poor state of the American economy and the pushback from the public and the law system forced the companies to stop the practice of DEI.

“After two years of unprecedented investment sparked by 2020’s racial justice movement, this year, global momentum around DEI slowed. There are a number of headwinds contributing to this shift: the first is economic uncertainty that not only led to reduced spending across the board, it also firmly shifted the power balance back to employers,” Paradigm wrote.

The company, however, noted that, despite the decline in funding, there was a 6% increase in the number of companies that had a senior DEI leader and an 8% increase in organizations that had goals related to representation for women in leadership from 2022 to 2023.

It was also reported that 20% of companies this year had goals related to increasing employment related to race or ethnicity, which is a 4% increase year-over-year.

Aside from not being able to financially support the funding of the leftist practices, the shift was also caused by the Supreme Court potentially targeting DEI and race-based hiring in the workplace the same way it struck down race-based admissions at colleges and universities in June 2023.

“Over the past several months, we’ve heard from a number of HR leaders who are de-emphasizing data and analytics as a part of their DEI efforts, in response to the changing legal landscape and increased scrutiny on DEI efforts,” the report said.

Paradigm also wrote that only 26% of companies examine the final results of hiring by race or ethnicity, with 33% analyzing promotions in the same manner and 36% of organizations measuring the attrition rate of their employees by race or ethnicity.

Hunter Biden’s Friend Fears Dems Betting on ‘Political Expediency of Sacrificing Hunter’

Luis Cornelio
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Hunter Biden’s Friend Fears Dems Betting on ‘Political Expediency of Sacrificing Hunter’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In an interview with Politico, a confidant of embattled figure Hunter Biden unveiled panic about Democratic lawmakers seemingly leveraging “the political expediency of sacrificing Hunter.” 

The discussion came amid a Politico analysis of Hunter’s new legal tactics, including filing lawsuits against detractors and a scheduled testimony before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. 

“Intentionally or not, they’re betting on the political expediency of sacrificing Hunter,” the unnamed friend claimed. “The greater good is served by accountability and vindication, and not by acquiescence to political prosecution and the effort to dehumanize him.” 

This admission follows the damning perception that some House Democrats have withdrawn support for Hunter’s legal battles as long as they claim no impact on the president. 

Amid allegations against Hunter, House Democrats issued stern statements, unapologetically addressing his legal predicaments. 

“Hunter Biden may have very well done some improper things. He’s a disturbed man. Almost every president has had problematic family members,” remarked House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., to Politico on Sept. 13.  

Echoing Nadler, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., weighed in during an ABC News interview, highlighting Hunter’s involvement in “unlawful and wrong things.” 

Both Nadler and Raskin are central figures in the Democratic defense against the Biden impeachment inquiry. A Politico report from September outlined a shift in defense strategies due to their initial claims lacking significant impact. 

“You can’t impeach Hunter Biden,” Raskin claimed. “But he will be prosecuted.” Raskin appeared to argue that Hunter’s issues fall under DOJ investigation and should remain beyond the purview of the House of Representatives.

Even Rep. Stacy E. Plaskett, D-V.I., echoed Raskin’s stance, stressing, “Our job, or my job, will be to remind the American people of that over and over again — that Hunter Biden is not the administration,” she claimed. 

The report surfaces amidst accusations that Hunter might be attempting a political spectacle by requesting a public hearing before the House Oversight Committee as it probes alleged political corruption linked to Biden.

China Infiltrates U.S., Congress Warns

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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China Infiltrates U.S., Congress Warns

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was revealed by members of the bipartisan House China Select Committee in a recent memo that the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] has deeply infiltrated the United States.

The threat specifically came from the United Front Work Department [UFWD], a political strategy that was called the “magic weapon” by Xi Jinping, the leader of China, according to the Daily Mail.

The “magic weapon” is the plan that the CCP uses to influence beyond its circle without the information appearing to come directly from the Chinese government.

It was reported that the communist government spent billions of dollars on the system each year, with the UFWD being affiliated with some 600 groups in the U.S. that are all in regular touch with the CCP.

“United front work damages U.S. interests through legal and illegal technology transfer, surveillance of Chinese diaspora communities, promotion of favorable narratives about the PRC through ostensibly independent voices and the neutralization or harassment of critics of the CCP,” the new report read.

The report also added that the U.S. doesn’t have a similar program.

“The United States has no direct analog, and the U.S. Government has struggled to counter united front work with traditional counterintelligence, law enforcement and diplomatic tools,” the report said.

The document was written to guide Americans to remain vigilant if they are targeted by China’s influence operations.

Among other goals of the UFWD are taking over Taiwan, establishing a new global order that revolves around CCP values and interests and controlling ostensibly non-governmental groups like academic institutions, non-profits and media.

It was also reported that the UFWD “played a central role in formulating, implementing and defending policies to ‘Sinicize’ China’s ethnic minorities, including the ongoing genocide of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang,” as well as monitoring and tracking Uyghurs and mobilizing propaganda to counter criticism of its treatment of the Muslim minority group.

“In addition to promoting narratives favorable to the CCP abroad, the UFWD collects intelligence, exerts control over overseas Chinese-language media outlets, seeks to influence Chinese diaspora groups, facilitates illicit technology transfer and interferes in politics in other countries, including by co-opting and influencing foreign academic, political and business elites,” the memo said.

Education Secretary Embarrassingly Butchers Famous Reagan Quote

Contributing Author
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Education Secretary Embarrassingly Butchers Famous Reagan Quote

(Headline USA) Education Secretary Miguel Cardona embarrassingly butchered a famous quote from former President Ronald Reagan during a speech earlier this month, Fox News reported.

Speaking at the 2023 Winter Meeting of the Western Governors Association in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Cardona laid out the ways in which he hoped the Biden administration could partner with governors and states to advance their education goals. At the end of his speech, Cardona quoted Reagan, seemingly unaware of the quote’s true meaning.

“I think it was President Reagan who said, ‘We’re from the government. We’re here to help!'” Cardona said.

Cardona’s version of Reagan’s quote excluded important context. The full quote from Reagan reads, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Reagan made the comment in August 1986 to emphasize the dangers of big government, and its tendency “to be inefficient to such a degree that instead of helping, it often causes harm instead,” according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

Conservatives were quick to point out the irony of Cardona’s gaffe.

“The Education Secretary gets a failing grade,” tweeted GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. “Fire him & shut it down.”

Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalist, joked, “I actually find it chef’s kiss perfect that the Education Secretary is this ignorant of history.”

Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, added: “Once you realize this is who is in charge of government education, our horrific literacy rates actually make total sense.”

Cardona was confirmed as education secretary in March 2021. He previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher in Connecticut before working as a principal, assistant superintendent and commissioner of education in the Constitution State.

He has frequently come under criticism from Republicans for enforcing controversial education policies, including President Joe Biden’s student loan amnesty plan and executive guidance that requires government-funded schools to accept students’ “gender identities.”

REPORT: New York Retailers Lost $4B to Theft in 2022

Contributing Author
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REPORT: New York Retailers Lost $4B to Theft in 2022

(Headline USA) New York retailers lost more than $4 billion in revenue in 2022 as a result of rampant shoplifting and organized theft, according to the New York Post.

The New York Association of Convenience Stores revealed the alarming statistic this week in a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, in which they called on her to take action against the “statewide” spike in crime. 

Kent Sopris, the president of the organization, said the spike in theft has not only hurt businesses monetarily, but has also hurt their employees.

“My members have reported theft that leaves stores in shambles as criminals seek cigarettes, lottery tickets and anything they can get their hands on,” he said. “In fact one store reported a thief threw a pot of coffee at a clerk.”

Retailers’ frustration grew after Hochul rejected a proposed bill last week that would have formed a 15-member task force dedicated to combating organized retail theft. A spokesperson for Hochul claimed the proposal was rejected because it was not included in the state’s budget and would have cost approximately $35 million.

Melissa O’Connor, a representative for the Retail Council of New York State, said business owers are “extremely disappointed” with the governor’s decision, especially after Hochul claimed she would make retail theft prevention “a priority for her administration.”

“We look forward to working with her to achieve results,” she added.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares told the Times Union that retail theft is on the rise in the state in large part because of lenient bail laws.

“Thieves that would have been sitting in a local jail in 2019 are now released to continue to steal, and the academics want you to believe the fault is due to corporate greed and not thieves raiding shelves at your local retailer,” he explained. “It’s a false narrative, and it’s just irresponsible.”

The New York Police Department reported in 2022 that 327 people were responsible for more than a third of retail thefts in the city. Those individuals were arrested more than 6,000 times, according to officials.

Denver Schools to Stop Requiring English for Immigrants in New ‘Diversity’ Initiative

Contributing Author
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Denver Schools to Stop Requiring English for Immigrants in New ‘Diversity’ Initiative

(Headline USA) Denver Public Schools announced a new policy this week that will allow immigrant students to avoid learning English as part of the district’s efforts to promote “diversity” and “inclusion.”

A draft of the policy refers to the new policy as “language justice,” which it defines as “the notion of respecting every individual’s fundamental language rights—to be able to communicate, understand, and be understood in the language in which they prefer and feel most articulate and powerful.”

The district said it hopes the policy will allow its schools to be “free of oppressive systems and structures rooted in racism and one which centers students and team members with a focus on racial and educational equity, enabling students to ultimately become conscientious global citizens and collaborative leaders.”

It went on to claim that DPS has a responsibility to “achieve equity” by “remov[ing] deeply rooted systems of oppression that have historically resulted in inequitable access and distribution of opportunities and resources for those who represent marginalized identities, including but not limited to race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, language and ability.”

Rosa Guzman–Snyder, a co-founder of Community Language Cooperative—an organization working with the district to advance “language justice”—said the policy “is not just a matter of hiring more interpreters and translators but rather creating systems and building the infrastructure that best supports linguistically diverse families and supporting multilingual staff.”

The public school district has more than 40,000 students who are non-English-speakers, most of whom are immigrants, according to DPS.

Colorado Stand for Children, a leftist organization that helped draft the new policy, said its goal is to enact the policy in all public school districts statewide.

“We will continue to work with school leaders and staff to help provide knowledge of these policies and strategies to accomplish language justice in every classroom and school,” the group said on its website.

Ukraine Military Spy Chief’s Wife Poisoned in Alleged Murder Attempt

Luis Cornelio
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Ukraine Military Spy Chief’s Wife Poisoned in Alleged Murder Attempt

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The wife of Ukraine’s military intelligence chief has been reportedly poisoned in what appears to be an attempted murder, according to several Ukrainian officials cited in a New York Post report.

Marianna Budanova, a university professor and wife of Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who heads the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR), was rushed to the hospital following a prolonged deterioration in her health due to poisoning by heavy metals but remains stable.

“Yes, I can confirm the information, unfortunately, it is true,” a GUR spokesperson told Reuters. The use of metals not commonly found in everyday life points toward a potentially deliberate act. 

“The course of treatment is now being completed, and then there will be a check-up by the doctors,” stated a GUR spokesperson, as reported by media outlet Babel. “These substances are not used in any way in everyday life and military affairs. Their presence may indicate a purposeful attempt to poison a specific person.” 

The alleged poisoning comes after Budanov, who has led several operations against Russia, survived ten attempts on his life following the country’s conflict with Russia, as stated by the agency to The Economist in June. 

Budanov previously mentioned that he and his wife reside in his office due to apparent security concerns. 

Other members of the intelligence agency experienced similar symptoms. However, officials noted that Budanov’s wife faced more severe symptoms due to her body weight. 

“Since Budanov’s wife is small and light in weight, it manifested itself faster in her. And poisoning was confirmed in several other employees: they are just a little huge, they didn’t notice anything about themselves, now they are also being treated,” sources informed Ukrainska Pravda, according to an English translation of the quotes. 

Reportedly, the wife of the intelligence chief began feeling unwell, prompting authorities to conduct tests that later revealed she had been poisoned. 

As reported by the NY Post, some of the woman’s organs were affected but she remains stable after undergoing treatment. 

Valeriy Kondratyuk, a former head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed in an interview with a Russian outlet that Russian agents might be behind the poisoning. However, official authorities have not provided an explanation for the alleged poisoning. 

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