February 16, 2023 - The Florida Capital Star

Florida’s DeSantis, Legislative Leaders Push for Reforms Against Frivolous Lawsuits

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023 The Center Square

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders want reforms to take on frivolous lawsuits and put a stop to what the governor calls “predatory” practices by trial lawyers.

DeSantis held a news conference in Jacksonville Tuesday with House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples about the proposals which would eliminate one-way attorney fees and fee multipliers for all lines of insurance, modernize Florida’s “bad faith” law, and put caps on damage claims to protect small businesses.

California Christian Teacher Allegedly Fired for Refusal to Comply with District Gender Policies: ‘The District Cannot Accommodate Your Religious Beliefs’

February 16, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

A California Christian physical education teacher was allegedly fired for refusing to lie to parents about their children’s gender identities at school and reject having males in female locker rooms – both policies that violate her faith beliefs, Fox News Digital reported Wednesday.

Jessica Tapias apparently shared with Fox News Digital the notice she received from the office of Jurupa Unified School District Superintendent Trenton Hansen.

Border Patrol: Record Number of Chinese Nationals Entering U.S. Illegally

February 16, 2023 The Center Square

The number of Chinese nationals illegally entering the U.S. has significantly increased under the Biden administration, beginning around the 2020 election, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Nationwide, 18,395 Chinese nationals were apprehended in fiscal 2020; 23,471 in fiscal 2021; 27,756 in fiscal 2022; and 10,587 in the fiscal year to date.

Only 12 Percent of Democrats Think Biden Should Be the Party Leader: Poll

February 16, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

A poll released Tuesday shows that only 12% of Democrats want President Joe Biden to be the leader of their party.

Members of the Democratic Party were asked who they thought the leader of their party was, as well as who they would like the party leader to be, according to the AP/NORC poll. Only 12% of Democrats want Biden to be the face of the party, and even though he is the president, just 41% considered him the current leader of the Democratic Party.

Senators JD Vance, Marco Rubio Send Letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Demanding Answers on East Palestine Train Derailment

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday amid the ongoing situation surrounding the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Commentary: A Tactic House Republicans Can Use to De-Weaponize Government

February 16, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

The House “weaponization of government” hearings kicked off an excellent start for public awareness. But without a legislative agenda, the short-staffed subcommittee will show little enduring accomplishment.

House reformers don’t believe they can force some of the necessary changes because the Senate and Joe Biden oppose them. So they haven’t prepared a strategic legislative agenda.

Yet, there is reason for hope and change.

Catholic Leader Demands Probe into FBI Memo, ‘Pattern of Anti-Catholic Bigotry’ That Represents ‘The New Inquisition’

February 16, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

Brian Burch, the president of Catholic Vote, is demanding that Congress investigate the recent FBI memo urging agents to probe the alleged nexus between racially-motivated violent extremists and “radical-traditional Catholics,” citing the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Burch warned against a “pattern of anti-Catholic bigotry” at the Department of Justice that represents “the new Inquisition” against Roman Catholics. He told The Daily Signal in a phone interview Tuesday that he is in contact with multiple members of Congress, urging an investigation.

Officials Say Biden Manipulating Border Stats, Blinding Agents to Fleeing Aliens

February 16, 2023 Just the News

Current and former U.S. officials are warning that the Biden administration has begun manipulating border statistics, incentivizing illegal aliens to shift from illegally crossing the southern border to seeking parole and asylum at ports of entry while blinding border agents by restricting their use of surveillance balloons.

Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told the “Just the News, No Noise” television show Tuesday that the net effect of the policy changes will be to create a false portrait to the American people that the border crisis has eased when in fact it has simply shifted tactics.

Unchastened by Russiagate, The New York Times Doubles Down in Its Special Counsel Coverage

February 16, 2023 RealClearWire

Special Counsel John Durham, leading a multi-year probe of how U.S. intelligence officials conducted the Russia investigation, has yet to issue his final report. But according to the New York Times, Durham has already come up empty.

Durham’s team, the Times declared in a widely circulated Jan. 26 article, has gone “unsuccessfully down one path after another” and ultimately “failed to find wrongdoing in the origins of the Russia inquiry.” The three bylined reporters, Charlie Savage, Adam Goldman, and Katie Benner, base their conclusion on a “monthslong review,” including interviews “with more than a dozen current and former officials.”