Hollywood Legend Joan Collins: Cancel Culture Made Celebrity Parties ‘Boring’

(Headline USA) Dynasty star Joan Collins admitted in a recent interview that Hollywood parties are now “boring” because everyone is afraid of being “canceled.”

“The parties I go to now are kind of…dull,” the 90-year-old actress told Best magazine, according to the Mirror.

“They are red carpet things in which everybody does behave,” she added. “If you don’t behave now, you are going to get canceled.”

Collins made similar comments in 2021 when asked why she doesn’t use social media.

“I don’t want to engage in any way, shape, or form with these morons,” she told the Sunday Times at the time.

“People can’t say what they think, because they’ll get canceled,” she added. “Dredging up tweets from 15 years ago, about what somebody might have said when they were 14, I think that’s sick.”

Collins blasted cancel culture, arguing it encourages dishonesty in the film industry. 

“The thing is you can’t say anything these days without being canceled. What am I allowed to say?” she told the Times.

Collins has also derided the #MeToo movement as an “anti-male” movement that has ruined both young women and men.

“Sadly, I think that now young men are suffering from being labeled toxically masculine because of this rise of anti-maleness,” she explained.

Collins clarified that opposing modern versions of the feminist movement, such as #MeToo, does not mean you don’t support women’s rights.

“I believe that women are equal to men in every single way,” she said. “Except physical strength. People say you didn’t burn your bra, you wear lipstick. So what? I’m very proud of being a woman.”

She also took a veiled shot at the radical LGBT movement.

“What’s wrong with ‘mother’? What’s wrong with ‘woman’? ‘Girl’? I don’t like having that word taken away,” she said.

In her interview with Best magazine, Collins also said she thinks there are only four stars left in Hollywood: Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Keanu Reeves.

Reporter Exposes Protesters’ Unsubstantiated Claims Against Moms for Liberty

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Post Millennial has exposed a group of protesters outside the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Two unnamed protesters claimed to be demonstrating against the organization’s support for book banning, but when questioned by the Post Millennial’s Editor-in-Chief, Libby Emmons, they were unable to provide any specific examples.

In a video posted on Twitter, Emmons can be seen asking the protesters about their opposition to Moms for Liberty and their alleged book banning activities. “What are some of the books they’re banning?” Emmons asked.

The individuals appeared hesitant and struggled to provide any concrete information. “I don’t know any of the titles,” one of the women answered.

When pressed further about whether Moms for Liberty had successfully banned any books in the past, the protesters could only offer vague and unsubstantiated responses.

The woman then proceeded to ramble illogically in an attempt to describe the books she believes Moms for Liberty banned. “But there’s one where there was just a mention at the very end of the book that Johnny has… a family with two moms or Sam is a family with two dads, and because of that one line, they wanted the whole book banned, and they did ban it, and I think, I think that’s what’s now you’ve got children in those classrooms.”

The second woman then claimed that Moms for Liberty is also banning “books with people of color in text.” The woman alleged, “[T]hat’s just so wrong. That’s discriminatory. Children, like Martha, just said, need to see all kinds of people and read everything.”

The Post Millennial’s on-the-ground questions shed light on the lack of evidence and credibility behind the protesters’ claims.

Moms for Liberty, a grassroots organization focused on empowering parents in their children’s education, has consistently denied supporting book bans.

Instead, the organization advocates for parental choice and transparency in curriculum materials, emphasizing the importance of informed decision-making on topics including gender ideology.

According to the Post Millennial, Moms for Liberty began their annual summit last week at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.

Comer Details DOJ’s Alleged Obstruction in Fired-up Interview

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In an interview with Fox News’s Jesse Watters, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., revealed new details regarding the alleged criminal obstruction by the DOJ under President Joe Biden.

Comer, known for his forceful investigation into reported misconduct and politicization of the federal government, accused the department of turning a blind eye to Hunter Biden’s questionable activities and interfering in probes related to the infamous Biden family.

“The Justice Department simply has turned a blind eye to Hunter Biden. They were told to stand down. That’s what our FBI whistleblower told us,” Comer told Watters.

Comer also described a pattern of the DOJ purposely thwarting investigations into Biden. “When we learned about the discovery of the 1023 form that alleged Joe Biden took a bribe from the most trusted, highest-paid FBI informant, they were told to stand down,” Comer added.

According to Comer, the DOJ’s alleged interference also took place in the National Archives and the IRS.

“When we brought in the general counsel for the National Archives and they were trying to publish a story on their website about Joe Biden mishandling classified documents, they were told by the Department of Justice to stand down. And now, with the IRS whistleblower, when they were looking at obvious tax violations by the Biden family, they were told to stand down,” Comer stated.

Comer described this tactic as a pattern of “preferential treatment for Biden’s criminal activities.”

Watters asked Comer about allegations that the DOJ blocked David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, from filing more severe charges against Hunter. “How abusive is that?” Watters specifically asked.

“It’s very abusive,” Comer answered, debunking the Democrats’ claims that Trump brought Weiss forward to investigate the crimes to which Hunter pleaded guilty last month.

“What the Democrats want to say is that ‘this Delaware attorney was appointed by Trump,’ but he was appointed by Obama before he was ever appointed by Trump for various positions,” Comer concluded. “So, this is certainly a situation where a senator works out a deal with the president, even if they’re from opposing parties.”

‘Humiliating’: Graham Booed by Trump Supporters at S.C. Rally

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., found himself on the receiving end of boos and jeers from the crowd at a recent Trump rally in Pickens, South Carolina.

The incident, captured in a viral video shared on social media, sparked conversations about Graham’s lack of political power within the Republican Party.

The footage, posted on Twitter by conservative attorney DC Draino, shows Graham taking the stage to address to a fired-up crowd that had been booing him as soon as his name was announced.

“Well, you want to find something in common?” Graham asked the crowd of Trump supporters.

“I’ve come to like President Trump, and he likes himself, and we got that in common,” Graham added. “And I’m going to help him become president of the United States.”

According to USA Today, Trump supporters booed Graham for a total of six minutes.

Draino called the event humiliating. He said, “Humiliating. There are many reasons why they did, but #1 is due to his support of the war in Ukraine. We’re done with NeoCon Warmongers.”

Eric Matheny, a conservative podcaster and attorney, echoed Draino’s remarks, sharing a photo of Graham with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said, “This is why Lindsey Graham gets booed. He’s a worthless government parasite who has no problem sending our hard earned money to fund the war chest of a leader who just canceled elections in his country.”

Miranda Devine, author and New York Post columnist writer, chimed in. She tweeted, “Trump ally Lindsey Graham booed off the stage at MAGA rally near his South Carolina hometown. ‘Calm down for a second… I was born in this country,’ Graham pleaded amid jeers and calls of ‘traitor!’ They’ve figured him out.”

Journalist Kate Sullivan described the embarrassing moment for Graham, saying, “The crowd won’t stop booing Sen. Graham at Trump’s rally in Pickens, South Carolina.”

As the crowd continued to boo him, Graham said, “My hope is we can bring this party together ‘cause he’s gonna be our nominee.”

Graham added, “He will be the nominee of the Republican Party and let me tell you what’s at stake. If they win in 2024, they’re gonna pack the Supreme Court. Puerto Rico and D.C. will be states. Four Democrats for the rest of our lifetime. They’ll abolish the electoral college, they will turn this nation upside down.”

GOP Leaders Demand Interviews, Expose Mishandling of Hunter Criminal Probe

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In a stunning revelation, three Republican leaders in the House are intensifying their scrutiny of the Biden administration, alleging extensive misconduct in the criminal investigations involving President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. 

The letter — signed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. — called on senior officials at the Biden DOJ, IRS and Secret Service to make officials available for their investigation. 

These employees, the letter alleges, possess damning information about the alleged misconduct at the federal agencies in their handling of the probe of Hunter’s potential crimes. 

“The federal government is supposed to work for the American people, but whistleblower evidence shows that several federal employees were working overtime to cover up for the Bidens,” stated the Republican leaders. “We need to hear from these federal employees and other witnesses about this weaponization of federal law enforcement power. Americans are counting on us to ensure bad actors are held accountable and restore the equal enforcement of the law.” 

The Republican leaders first learned of the alleged misconduct through the testimony from IRS whistleblowers during sworn-in that revealed scathing details of the Biden DOJ and IRS mishandling. 

“The Justice Department refused to follow evidence that implicated Joe Biden; tipped off Hunter Biden’s attorneys, the Secret Service, and Biden transition team; allowed the clock to run out with respect to certain charges; and put tax-cheat Hunter Biden on the path towards a sweetheart plea deal,” the House Oversight Committee said in a press release. 

The House Oversight Committee listed the names of the following federal employees for transcribed interviews: Lesley Wolf, Jack Morgan, Mark Daly, Matthew Graves, E. Martin Estrada, David Weiss, Stuart Goldberg, Shawn Weede and Shannon Hudson from the DOJ.

From the FBI, the House Oversight listed the following employees: Tom Sobocinski, Ryeshia Holley, Michael T. Batdorf and Darrell J. Waldon. 

The Republican leaders are also calling for the federal government to make available the Secret Service employees who were allegedly tipped off by the FBI and DOJ of a Hunter raid in December 2022.

Read the full letters here.

Joe Biden Says He Was Right About Afghanistan Withdrawal

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Joe Biden insisted on Friday that he made no mistakes with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in 13 American troops dead and even more injured.

Biden made his comments following the State Department’s release of an “after-action review” of the bungled exit, Breitbart reported.

After complaining live about the Supreme Court ruling that stroke down his $430 billion student loan forgiveness plan, a journalist asked Biden as he was exiting the room if he would admit failure in Afghanistan.

“Mr. President, do you admit failure in Afghanistan? Mistakes? There was a — there was a report on Afghanistan withdrawal, saying there was a failure, mistakes. Do you admit there were mistakes during the withdrawal and before?” the journalist asked.

Biden responded by saying that he was right to make the decision that led to U.S. officials, contractors, and citizens fleeing and dying after the Taliban swept into Kabul and toppled the U.S.-backed government.

“No, no. All the evidence is coming back. Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al-Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldn’t be there. I said we’d get help from the Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on? Read your press. I was right,” he said.

It was not the first time Biden denied any regrets about the Afghanistan drawdown, Breitbart reported.

The State Department’s report that the journalist was talking about blamed both the Donald Trump and Biden administrations for failing to plan for the worst-case scenarios.

The report was released on the Friday before the Fourth of July weekend, which prompted journalists to question at the White House briefing if that was done to bury the report’s findings.

To this day, no one has been fired for the withdrawal that caused the deaths of 13 U.S. troops and approximately 170 Afghans after an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria suicide bomber targeted a gate at the airport where the chaotic evacuation was staged, according to Breitbart.

CBO: National Debt to Double National Economy

(Casey Harper, The Center Square) – The national debt will be nearly twice as large as the U.S. economy in 30 years, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office projects.

That figure assumes no new major spending projects from Congress in that time, which is unlikely, meaning that debt levels could actually rise much more quickly. Conversely, Congress could slow that trend by cutting spending.

“By the end of 2023, federal debt held by the public equals 98 percent of GDP,” the report said. “Debt then rises in relation to GDP: It surpasses its historical high in 2029, when it reaches 107 percent of GDP, and climbs to 181 percent of GDP by 2053.”

CBO found that deficits are poised to soar as well.

“In CBO’s projections, the deficit equals 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, declines to 5.0 percent by 2027, and then grows in every year, reaching 10.0 percent of GDP in 2053,” the report said. “Over the past century, that level has been exceeded only during World War II and the coronavirus pandemic.”

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, responded to the CBO projections, saying “there is still a tremendous amount of work needed to put our fiscal situation on sound footing.”

MacGuineas said the fast growth of Medicare, Social Security and interest on the debt are particularly problematic.

As The Center Square previously reported, the interest payments on the national debt are projected to exceed the cost of U.S. spending on national defense within a decade.

“Though the Fiscal Responsibility Act was an important step forward, it can only be the start of our efforts to get the debt under control,” MacGuineas said. “The FRA didn’t address health care, Social Security, or tax revenue. There is no way to put our debt on a sustainable course without looking at these three parts of the budget.”

Policymakers need to stop demagoguing Social Security and Medicare and start leveling with the American people about the serious challenges these programs face.

MacGuineas said that within a decade, the trust funds for Medicare, Social Security and highways “will face insolvency.”

“If allowed to occur for Social Security, that will mean a 26 percent across-the-board benefit cut for all seniors, regardless of how much they depend on the program,” she said.

The CBO report said the higher debt levels will have serious economic consequences.

“Such high and rising debt would slow economic growth, push up interest payments to foreign holders of U.S. debt, and pose significant risks to the fiscal and economic outlook; it could also cause lawmakers to feel more constrained in their policy choices,” the report said.

CBO said it will also lead to higher inflation and “erode confidence in the U.S. dollar as the dominant international reserve currency.”

“There would be an elevated risk of a fiscal crisis – that is, a situation in which investors lose confidence in the U.S. government’s ability to service and repay its debt, causing interest rates to increase abruptly, inflation to spiral upward, or other disruptions to occur,” the report said.

Kari Lake Says She May Run for U.S. Senate

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Arizona Republican and last year’s gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake teased her supporters about her possibly running for U.S. Senate when she appeared on Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Fourth of July Special.

On the show, Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle asked Lake if she was considering running for office in the state of Arizona, the news source reported.

Lake, who is a part of the Make America Great Again Movement, said that she is thinking about running for office again and then emphasized that it doesn’t mean she has given up the legal battle that she started after her “loss” in the last year’s gubernatorial election.

“Politics is gross. It’s a slimy business, but I think we need real people to be in it. And so I am contemplating running for office again,” Lake said.

“I want everyone out there to know we have filed a notice of appeal on our case. We’re not giving up on securing our elections and reforming our elections, and we’re going to work through the court system.” 

Lake then revealed that she specifically considers running for Senate from the Grand Canyon state.

“I may run for Senate, I’m considering that,” she said.

“It’s something I may have to do because we can’t have people who don’t care about Arizonans representing us in Washington, DC. Got a lot of options on the table. I’m taking a look at all of them, and I’ll be making some decisions here in the coming months.” 

If Lake decides to run for Senate from Arizona, she would need to compete with several other candidates. Her primary opponent would be a Republican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb who has announced a bid for the U.S. Senate.

However, there are other candidates from the opposing parties. Among them are Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who has launched a campaign for the Democrat nomination, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz. 

Moms for Liberty to Challenge Teachers Unions Nationwide in 2024

(Headline USA) Moms for Liberty, a parental rights group that has sought to take over school boards in multiple states, is looking to expand those efforts across the country and to other education posts in 2024 and beyond. The effort is setting up a clash with teachers unions who have had a monopoly on influence in education for decades.

The group’s co-founder, Tiffany Justice, said during its annual summit over the weekend in Philadelphia that Moms for Liberty will use its political action committee next year to engage in school board races nationwide. It also will “start endorsing at the state board level and elected superintendents.”

Her comments confirm that Moms for Liberty, which has spent its first two years attending school board meetings and protesting the indoctrination efforts around critical race theory and grooming in the classroom, is developing a larger strategy to overhaul education infrastructure across the country.

As the group has amassed widespread conservative support and donor funding, its focus on education ensures that even as voters turn their attention to the 2024 presidential race, school board elections will remain some of the most contentious political fights next year.

Moms for Liberty started with three Florida moms fighting COVID-19 restrictions in 2021. It has quickly ascended as a national player in Republican politics, helped along the way by the board’s political training and close relationships with high-profile GOP groups and lawmakers. The group’s support for school choice and the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children’s education has drawn allies such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a leading GOP presidential contender, and the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Justice said in an interview that she and her co-founder, Tina Descovich, were two moms who “had faith in American parents to take back the public education system in America” and that they “fully intend on reclaiming and reforming” that system.

Focusing on state-level candidates could give Moms for Liberty an opportunity to assert its influence on some of the positions that have more control in determining curriculum, said Jon Valant, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has studied education policy.

A close partnership with the conservative training organization the Leadership Institute and added money from a growing donor base also could help the Moms for Liberty run more electable candidates and help them win in 2024.

Monty Floyd, vice chair of the Moms for Liberty chapter in Hernando County, Florida, knows what it’s like to have the group’s support in a political campaign. He ran for school board in 2022 and received the group’s endorsement, as well as $250 from its Florida-based PAC.

Floyd told The Associated Press at the summit that he looks forward to seeing how the group’s political influence grows and said that even more than the money, the national network of Moms for Liberty provides a “great resource” to a candidate.

“The wealth of knowledge they have and the network of support and just the advocacy tips that we’re learning from the speakers today,” he said. “They have good advice to give. So you kind of learn a lot about what you can improve in your messaging.”

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said her union will challenge Moms for Liberty’s growing influence.

She said the union would “do what we have to do” during elections to show the contrast between its endorsed candidates and Moms for Liberty candidates.

Moms for Liberty did not answer questions on which races it would focus on in 2024, besides making it clear that it would not endorse in legislative races or the presidential election.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

FTC Chair Accused of Misleading Congress About Big Tech Bias

() – Two House Committees announced plans to investigate Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, for potentially misleading Congress after a recently published memo shows she allegedly ignored advice and chose to sit in on a review of a Meta merger despite a potential bias.

The Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairs, Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., sent a letter to Khan this week announcing that they are conducting oversight on her adherence to federal ethics guidance.

In an April hearing that Khan testified in, the Energy and Commerce subcommittee questioned the FTC’s work to protect American consumers from deceptive or unfair business practices.

When asked by Rodgers if there were any instances in which she had not followed the Designated Agency Ethics Official of the FTC, Khan initially responded with “no” before expanding on her answer and saying, “I have consulted with the DAEO and have taken actions that are consistent with the legal statements the DAEO has made.”

This week’s letter from the committees then mention a memorandum written by the DAEO’s Lorielle Pankey concerning a petition filed by Meta, parent company of Facebook, requesting Khan be recused from the FTC’s review of Meta’s proposed merger with Within Unlimited.

In the memorandum, Pankey recommended that Khan “elect to recuse from participating in Meta/Within as adjudicator to avoid an appearance of partiality.”

Before being appointed to the FTC, Khan “wrote extensively” regarding Facebook, criticizing its substantial power.

One example listed in the memo was a 2017 letter to Acting FTC Chair Maureen Ohlhausen, which said “recent events reveal that Facebook has become too big and complex for any executive team to manage responsibly […] the most obvious immediate step to address Facebook’s current power is to prohibit mergers between Facebook, other potentially competitive social networks, or other new and promising products and services.”

Khan signed the letter and spoke out in interviews voicing the same sentiment.

“Several of Chair Khan’s statements […] create an appearance of bias sufficient for the FTC’s [DAEO] to recommend Chair Khan recuse from participating as an adjudicator in Meta/Within,” Pankey wrote.

Despite this suggestion, Khan declined to recuse herself, which was approved by the FTC’s Democratic majority.

“Meta has made multiple acquisitions since I joined the FTC that the agency did not oppose or challenge,” Khan wrote in a memo regarding her refusal to recuse. “It is difficult to square this basic reality with Meta’s claim that I have predetermined that all acquisitions by Meta are unlawful and should be blocked.”

The Energy and Commerce and Judiciary Committee chairs wrote that Khan had misled Congress by not mentioning the previously unpublished memo from the DAEO.

“The recent disclosure of the DAEO’s memorandum suggests that your response to Chair Rodgers during the recent subcommittee hearing omitted an important recommendation by the DAEO and raises serious questions about your commitment to the fair and impartial administration of the FTC’s authorities,” the letter said.

The committee requested all documents and communications relating to the DAEO’s recommendation, Khan’s ethics analysis, and her testimony at the April subcommittee hearing be presented to the committees for examination.

Khan was asked to produce the information by July 12.